Je Ne Suis Plus Une Gamine
by jd4941
Summary: AU SB. Teen Swan Queen start to finish. There is magic but there was no curse. Regina and Emma have loved each other forever. But now it's time to put away childish things and concentrate on growing up. They knew this day would come. They just never thought it would happen this way.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Emma sat waiting on her girlfriend's bed. The room was made up in a modern style but Regina still managed to make it seem livable. It consisted of deep dark purple, black, white and silver. It was the huge canopied bed that took up a good 1/3 of the enormous room that Emma sat on now.

She was completely at home here. She'd spent almost as much time here as she did in her own home over the years. And anywhere Regina was was where she wanted to be.

She watched from her place on Regina's bed as her girlfriend came out of the bathroom. She was leaning against the headboard with her legs stretched out in front of her. She noted the look of doom on her face as she came to her and sat the garish stick on the nightstand next to the two others.

Regina climbed across Emma's legs and sat next to her girlfriend. "What are we going to do Emma?" she dropped her head onto her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Emma just wrapped her arms around her shoulders and drew her in close. She kissed her atop her head. "We'll take care of it like we always do. Together," she smiled down at her girlfriend.

Regina smiled back before wrapping her arm tighter around Emma's midsection. She snuggled closer as they both looked over at the stick that would be the key to their future. And they waited. Together.

Emma and Regina had been lifelong friends. Emma was born a few minutes after Regina. Their parents had met at Emma's parents daycare. The two girls had been inseparable ever since. Then a house near the Mills' mansion was foreclosed upon. The Nolan's were able to pick it up for a steal. So eventually the two families had become next door neighbors.

Emma had always loved Regina. Their parents had embarrassing video of her and Regina making out almost constantly as toddlers.

It wasn't until they'd gotten older that Regina began to pull away from her. In preschool after a comment made by another child about them holding hands and smooching she began to realize that being that way with a girl wasn't right. Emma had walked right up and slugged Killian Jones. She'd told the kid point blank that what they had was true love. She knew because her Mommy and Daddy had true love. And that's what she was made of.

She'd gotten sent home from school for a week for that one. Even though there was a zero tolerance rule, the school hadn't wanted to come down too hard on her since the boy had basically committed a hate crime and Emma was only defending herself and Regina. Emma had been outright irate. She'd stamped her tiny feet and crossed her arms. She almost threw a full blown tantrum over the injustice of it all. Before leaving that day she'd gone in for a kiss goodbye. Regina had pushed her to the ground and sputtered as she wiped her lips. Even at the tender age of 4 the sting of Regina rejecting her is what left her in tears that day.

The two of them still remained close friends even though Regina began to go around holding hands and kissing another little boy named Robin. Emma had been so mad and jealous she hadn't even wanted to talk to her again. Or so she'd sworn loudly as she stood in Regina's backyard before running off in tears. She didn't even know what she had seen in him. The kid wore a costume to school everyday with his underwear on the outside and everything. Regina had just shaken her head at her after she pointed this out before going to play in the clubhouse with him that was set in a fake tree outside.

She'd run home crying to her parents. Her Father assured her that if she loved Regina then setting her free was the right thing to do. If Regina loved her back then she'd find her way back to her. And until then Emma had to accept that they wouldn't be together until Regina was ready. And that's what being an honorable partner was about.

Emma had been completely heartbroken. It had taken her a whole day before she'd leave her bed. But there was something about Regina that made it impossible for her to stay away. As soon as Robin had gone home Regina was instantly at her side begging her to play with her. So Emma'd swallowed her feelings and instead accepted her place as her best friend.

Then high school came around. And puberty. Eventually Regina had made her way back to Emma's side where she belonged. At first she'd tried to keep it a secret. But Emma put her foot down. She was no one's dirty little secret. Either Regina was with her or not. The memory of Regina rejecting her as a child still rang throughout her entire being. She wouldn't allow her to go back.

So shortly after their 15th birthdays they officially came out to friends and family. Suffice it to say, no one seemed surprised that the two girls had decided to become more than friends.

They'd always done everything together. Since they were 3 they had never spent longer than a few weeks apart. Then one day they looked at one another and they just knew. This was what they both wanted for always.

Regina had scoffed when their parents had sat them down together and given them new mandates to abide by. They'd slept over at one another's houses their entire lives. They called each other's parents Aunt and Uncle. Now they couldn't be trusted just because the two of them had found love?

But as she stared at the stick with dread filling her lower belly she understood. Their hormones had gotten the better of them. They really couldn't be trusted.

Regina's older sister, Zelena, walked by and stuck her head in the door. The worst of the mandates they'd been saddled with since they were now dating was no closed doors when they were upstairs together. "What are you two up to?" she asked as she sauntered closer over to them.

Regina stiffened. Emma registered the terror cross Regina's face as she glanced nervously over at the sticks hoping that her sister wouldn't pay any attention.

When they didn't answer she just shook her head and pulled one corner of her mouth up, "Dinner's ready. It's time to eat," was all she said though.

Regina let out the breath she'd been holding as she turned and walked out. "That was a close one," she said to Emma.

The timer went off on Emma's phone. She'd set it as soon as Regina had walked out of the bathroom. She nodded at Regina and then together the two looked over at the newest stick.

There was a huge pink plus in the middle of the results window. It matched the two others. Regina began to cry.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut wanting to break down too. But she knew she needed to be strong for her girlfriend. She was the one who would literally carry the bulk of the burden. And they were both responsible. Even though neither one of them were completely sure how this had even happened.

They were aware of the magic that flowed inside of them. And they knew that it was a possibility. They just didn't know that it would be an unplanned one. They thought when the time came they'd have to work to make something like this happen.

But Regina had been sick for a few weeks. And she had been putting on weight. She'd complained for a while about how snug her clothes were around the waist. But it wasn't until she missed her period which was as regimented as she was that she began to fear the worst.

Now there was no turning back. What was done was done. The two of them were going to be Mothers. Unwed teenage mothers at the age of 16.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

After a lot of cajoling, Emma had finally gotten Regina to calm down enough to be able to present themselves downstairs for Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of the many get-togethers that the two families had over the years. But on the holidays each family switched off having one holiday at one house and the other at the next so that everyone could spend time together.

They walked in and sat at their usual seats side by side. Everyone else was already present. Emma's parents, Snow and David, Regina's parents, Henry and Cora, Zelena and her boyfriend Graham rounded out the group. They smiled at the two girls.

They were sitting around sharing, eating, and enjoying one another's company when Cora noticed her daughter's pinched face. She looked back and forth between the two girls. This was one of the first times she'd seen Emma so quiet. The girl usually was the loudest at the table and always had plenty of stories to tell despite how full her mouth was at the time. Now she and Regina were sitting together quietly having some sort of silent conversation that the rest of them weren't privy to.

The girls coming out had taken no one by surprise. They'd always been as thick as thieves. And they'd all watched as the yearning and chatter of being best friends turned to more.

Cora frowned as she sliced at her turkey, "What have you two girls been up to?" Her frown only deepened at the girls' responses.

Emma looked at her wide eyed before she began to babble nonsensically. "Nothing, nothing. We weren't doing anything. And nothing's going on. It's nothing at all - ," she shook her head emphatically as if to drive home her point.

Regina was instantly paralyzed with fear. She and her Mother were really close. Everyone always pointed out how alike they were. Together they had had her entire future mapped out for her ever since she was a tike. She was supposed to go to college and have established a career before this happened. And now this pregnancy had already totally ruined everything. "I'm pregnant!" she blurted out. She squeezed her eyes shut tight because she couldn't bear to see her parents' disappointment.

Emma turned and stared at her, "Seriously?" They'd both already agreed if the last test came out positive they'd wait for just the right time to let the family know. She should've known Regina couldn't last long under her Mother's scrutiny. She was such a Mama's girl.

The room got deathly quiet. The only sounds were silverware clattering onto the expensive china that Cora kept put away for special occasions.

Zelena stared back and forth between her sister, Emma, and her parents with a huge smirk on her face. She folded her arms and sat back with a satisfied look on her face. Snow and David sat slack jawed. Henry looked nervously between his wife and daughter then longingly at the door as if hoping for an exit. Graham gave a snort but then continued to just look bored.

Cora just sat quietly in shock. Her stupor finally broke and she pulled herself upright stretching her back taut as she dabbed at her mouth delicately with the cloth napkin, "I hope you know this isn't going to get you out of going to college and getting a degree." She settled the napkin back onto her lap gracefully.

Now it was Snow's turn to share her outrage, "Emma how could you? I mean, what were you two thinking?!"

"I think we know what they were thinking. And what they were doing," Zelena snickered and took a big bite while grinning happily at her sister's predicament. Regina had always been their parent's favorite. She relished gleefully the few times Regina was ever in trouble.

Regina glared at her which only caused Zelena to laugh heartily out loud.

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, "I'm going to get a job," she announced boldly.

David threw his napkin down. Obviously dinner was ruined. "You most certainly are not!"

"I have a baby to support," Emma shouted as she dug her heels in. She had always considered herself independent. A trait she'd been told came from her Father. This was her baby. And she was going to be damned if someone else was going to have to support her child. "And Regina obviously won't be able to do anything for a while."

Snow put her hands up between her husband and daughter before the situation could escalate. "Now hold on. We haven't even gotten that far yet." She turned to Regina, "Honey are you sure that you're pregnant?"

Regina glanced nervously at Emma. She licked her lips and nodded her head, "I just took three tests. There was a pink plus. Plus I've been feeling sick for the past few weeks. And I've missed 2 periods."

Cora narrowed her eyes at her, "Those things are wrong all the time. I'll schedule you a doctor's appointment as soon as the offices open up on Monday." She looked around the table at everyone. "In the meantime I think you two should stop whatever it is you were doing to get yourselves in this predicament."

Regina and Emma both turned bright red as Zelena snickered more. The two avoided eye contact with everyone.

Henry reached across and patted his daughter's hand. "It'll be alright dear. You'll see."

Regina smiled gratefully at him before sneaking a peek at her Mother through her lashes. She knew her Mother well. She was waiting until 'company' had left before cutting loose on her.

She sighed and picked up her silverware. She looked over at Emma and the two shared a smile. She squeezed her hand before releasing it and concentrating on dinner. She knew her Father's words were true. It would be alright. Because they'd see it through together.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Get out," Zelena said as they pulled into a parking space at school. Regina accidentally on purpose hit her in the head with her elbow as they climbed out of the back of Graham's car. She jumped out of the way quickly as Zelena turned on her to smack back. She stuck her tongue out at her as she waited for Emma to exit the car.

Emma scowled at her before slamming the door shut. "Eww!" she cried out as Zelena and Graham began their first of many daily make out marathons. She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her along.

They were walking toward the building when a screech rang out through the air followed by streaks of black and red. The owner barreled into Emma at full speed. They both almost toppled over but Emma was able to catch herself at the last moment.

"Ruby!" Emma quickly reached out to help steady Regina.

"Oh sorry Swan. Thought you saw me coming," Ruby was instantly on her feet and was now bouncing around from excitement. "So?"

"So what?" Emma pretended ignorance. She threw her backpack over her shoulder again and began walking to the building again.

"You know what!" Ruby cried out. She walked backwards in front of them. She almost walked into Belle and Kathryn but she paid them no mind.

"How'd it go?" Belle asked Regina.

Emma broke out in a huge grin. "She's preggo. I got da magic touch," she raised her trigger finger in the air and blew on it.

"Eww," Regina shoved her.

"Oww! Domestic violence!" Emma yelled as she dramatically nursed her arm.

Regina just rolled her eyes and walked around her. Belle and Kathryn followed suit.

"I'll see ya after school," Emma yelled out as they walked into the school.

"Whoa! I can't believe you got her pregnant. What do you think your parents are going to say?" Ruby began to open her locker.

Emma was busy trying to get her own locker opened. After she got it unlocked she turned back to Ruby, "Regina already told them. You know what a Mama's girl she is. She couldn't keep her mouth shut for 10 whole minutes."

Ruby gaped at her best friend, "And you're both still alive? What happened? How'd it happen? What did the 'rents say?" Ruby threw the questions out in rapid fire.

Emma began shuffling around her books, "Aunt Cora's taking her to the doctor today for lunch. Then we should have the results by the end of the day. But all 3 of the sticks had pink plus signs. I'd say it's a done deal."

"Don't you think you should stop calling them Aunt and Uncle? It's going to be really confusing to the baby."

"They've been my Aunt and Uncle all my life. I don't know what else to call them. Anyway, we haven't gotten there yet," the two girls began to make their way down to their first period class. "By the way, I wanted to ask you, does your Granny need help at her diner? I need to get a job. I'm not going to have someone else supporting my baby."

"Granny's usually always looking for someone. She can't seem to stop making the cooks and waiters cry. I'm sure she'll have some room for you part time."

"Good," Emma nodded. "Think it would be alright to swing by after school?"

"I don't see why not," Ruby shrugged. They entered their first period class and took their seats just as Mr. Leroy Rey entered the room.

"Take out your books and read something quietly," he growled out as he dropped down heavily into his seat. He frowned around the room at everyone equally. When everyone pulled out a book, he pulled his sunglasses over his eyes. He slumped down in his chair and stretched his feet out in front of him. Next thing they heard was loud snoring filling up the room.

"Another late night," Ruby mouthed over to Emma before pulling out her makeup case and starting work on her face and hair.

Mr. Leroy tended to be drunk almost always as far as anyone could make out. He had taught them nothing and they learned nothing. But there were no complaints from the kids. And none from him as long as he didn't have to hear about them getting in trouble while he was supposed to be on duty. They pretty much did whatever they wanted to. Everyone was happy.

Emma pulled out some notebook paper and started making lists. She jotted down all she needed to do to get ready for their baby. No matter what she was going to be as good a parent to her child as hers had been to her.

The first thing on her list was getting a job. The second was making sure Regina was taken care of. That one was easy. She adored everything about the woman. She always had.

She frowned down at her paper. It seemed there should be more to the list. But everything else was covered already. She shrugged and pulled out her homework. Neither her parents nor Regina's nor for that matter Regina herself would appreciate it if she didn't graduate.

She got down to finishing her homework for her next classes. She didn't want to have to focus on the butterflies in her belly regarding Regina and their baby. She'd just have to wait for the final word like everyone else.

But she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. She'd already doodled baby names in the corners of her papers. She grinned as she sat back and studied them. She knew they were still young. And she definitely would've wanted to wait also. But it was here. And it was real. They could do this.

RQ

Regina was already waiting for her Mom outside when Cora pulled up. She quickly jumped into the passenger seat.

"Hello Mother," she greeted her.

Cora just shook her head. She put the car into drive and headed for the doctor's office.

At the doctor's office Cora filled out the required paperwork while Regina sat nervously beside her.

"Stop fidgeting," Cora complained as Regina's bouncing leg bumped her one too many times.

"I'm sorry," Regina crossed her legs in the opposite direction. She began biting her nails.

"And stop with the nail biting!"

Regina quickly pulled her finger out of her mouth. "Sorry."

Cora went back to the paperwork. She had only just finished as the nurse called Regina into the back.

The nurse took Regina's weight and height before showing them into a room. Once there she asked what they were here for.

"This one decided to get herself knocked up. She couldn't control her hormones until after graduation," Cora frowned over at Regina.

Regina's cheeks flamed and she lowered her head while biting her lip nervously. The nurse kept her professional demeanor intact. She merely smiled at Regina and finished making her notes. She took Regina's vitals. Then she gave Regina a gown to slip into. Regina handed Cora her purse and book bag as she got undressed and put on the gown. She sat on the table as instructed to await the doctor.

Papa Pope strolled into the room with a smile. "How are you two lovely ladies doing today?"

"I've had better days," Cora sneered.

Regina just gave the doctor a small tight smile.

He checked over the notes and then nodded. He turned to Regina. Let's have you lie back. I'm going to need to raise your gown so that we can see what we have going on here," he said cheerily as he handed Regina a sheet to drape over herself. He began to drag equipment over to the table and get it set up.

Regina quickly did as instructed.

"Now this is going to be cold," he smiled apologetically as he squirted the gel onto her belly. He placed the wand upon her stomach and the room began to fill with what sounded like whale songs. "And that would be your baby," he said proudly. "Good strong heartbeat that is."

Cora rolled her eyes and let out a disappointed sigh. She shook her head at Regina sadly.

Regina quickly tore her eyes away from her Mother as she took in what she was seeing and hearing. That was her baby. It was their baby. Hers and Emma's right there. And it was real. And it was beautiful.

She had never been a believer in love at first sight. Even though Emma swore that's all it took for her. But as her breath hitched and all she could do was stare at what was obviously the most beautiful baby in the world.

The doctor tapped at some keys. "I'd say you're about 9 weeks along."

"Is that bad?" Regina was worried at the slight frown on his otherwise cheery face.

"No, no. It's just that prenatal care is very important. But you're here now. And we still have 31 more weeks to go. You're young and that could be good and bad. As far other activities I see nothing that concerns me here. And sex is good for the baby. You can have as much as you want," Regina blushed but the doctor just patted her hand while giving her a wink. Cora rolled her eyes and sighed. Papa Pope turned to Cora, "So Mom my nurse will be with you two to help go over the prenatal regiments. I'll also call in the prescriptions for folic acid and prenatal pills to the pharmacy. In the meantime," he printed off a few pics of the ultrasound. "You'll have this to remind you of what's at stake if you don't follow them to the letter."

Regina nodded, "I will. I promise," she began to wipe the gel off her belly before sitting up. She took the pictures from him with a smile before returning her eyes back to her baby.

Regina quickly got dressed. Then she and her Mom sat with the nurse who went over the details of what they should be doing for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. She also gave them books on their upcoming baby. She seemed to sense that her congratulating them wouldn't be welcome.

Regina jumped into the car excitedly. Her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her purse.

Emma: **Everything okay?**

Regina started to type then deleted it. She wasn't sure how to say this. And she really didn't want to say it over a text anyway. So she settled with **We need to talk.**

Emma stared down at the text nervously and gulped.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

By the time they got home, Cora still hadn't spoken to Regina. Regina couldn't let this stand. She hated when her Mother was upset with her. Everyone always pointed out how alike the two of them were. And that made Regina proud. Her Mom had come from a hard working family. She'd put herself through school working at her family's bakery to pay her own way through. She was a strong, smart, independent, beautiful woman. She'd always wanted to be just like her. So the cold shoulder act from her was something Regina neither wanted nor could handle.

Cora closed the refrigerator door, "I'll have to go shopping. I'll also pick up your prescriptions. Is there anything specific you want?" Cora had taken out a pad and began to make a shopping list.

"No, no. I'm good," Regina leaned against the kitchen island waiting – for what she wasn't sure. "Mother, I'm really sorry about this."

Cora sighed and reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You've said that repeatedly. It doesn't change anything Regina."

Regina felt tears prick the back of her eyes. "That doesn't make it any less true."

Cora put the pad aside and stared at her daughter. Regina was her baby. And now she was having a baby. She knew it was something she'd have to get on board with. She just wasn't sure how. "I know you are Regina. That doesn't make my disappointment lessen any either. I just – we had so many plans for you."

Regina nodded, "I know. And I still plan to do all those things. I still plan to go to college. And get a degree in political science. Having a baby isn't going to change that."

"But it will," Cora told her. When Regina lowered her head she reached out and placed her palm along her cheek. "You're going to be a Mother now. And your priorities will change, as they should. And we will get through this. It's just – now everything will have to change," she sighed as she stared ahead sadly. "I always thought I'd be having this conversation with your sister," Cora added as she ran a hand through her hair.

"So did I," Regina chuckled. Then her chuckle turned into a laugh.

Cora tried to school her face but lost. She began to join in the laughing. She pulled her daughter into her arms as their laughter died. "I still love you Regina," she said as she buried her nose in her hair. She kissed her on the side of her head and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I love you too, Mother," Regina wrapped her arms tighter around her Mom. She knew things had to change. She just hoped this wasn't one of them. She still needed her Mom. Now probably more than ever.

The two stayed like that for a while. Neither one of them wanting to pull away from the other. Both giving and taking comfort in the other.

SMF

Emma left Granny's with a grin on her face as she waved goodbye to Ruby and Granny. When she got outside she pumped her fist in the air, "Score," she cheered.

Passersby looked at her oddly before stepping around her. "Oh, sorry," Emma quickly scooted out of the way. She chuckled to herself as she caught her reflection in the window. She knew she must've looked like a crazy person to them.

But she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was breaking her news to Regina. She'd gotten a job. And she knew things were going to be okay.

She half jogged over to Regina's house. She let herself in the back as she always did. When she found no one downstairs she called throughout the house. She figured Cora and Henry were at work. And Zelena was more than likely steaming it up in the backseat of Graham's car. But she'd expected Regina to be at the table doing her homework by now.

"I'm up here," Regina called down to her.

Emma was going to go straight to her girlfriend's bedroom. But she'd come in the back way which meant going through the kitchen. She realized she was famished. Lunch had been more than 4 hours ago. She opened the refrigerator and smiled as she looked inside. Her perfect girlfriend had a sandwich made out of thanksgiving leftovers for her already made. She grabbed it and laughed at the little 'love you!' that was underneath her name on a post-it that she'd stuck to the saran wrap.

Emma grabbed the sandwich, an orange flavored water, and a coke. Then she grabbed a bag of chips, package of cookies, and an apple that she put on top of the sandwich just to round things out. She put the chips between her teeth while she balanced the cookies underneath her arm and the plate with the sandwich in one hand and the coke and the orange flavored water that Regina loved in the other. Then she made her way upstairs to her girlfriend's room.

When she got up there the door was partially open. She kicked it all the way open with her foot before spotting Regina lounging back on her window seat reading a book. "Hey," she mumbled around the chip bag between her teeth. Emma handed her the drinks then made herself comfortable on the opposite side of the seat from her. She pulled the chip bag out and of her mouth and poured a few of them onto her plate. "How's it going?"

Regina frowned and handed her back the coke. Emma offered her the cookies, chips, half her sandwich, and even the apple. Regina declined opting for her bottle of water instead. "I'm good."

Emma took a big bite of her sandwich. She cocked an eyebrow in Regina's direction, "Good? That's all you have to say after today."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Regina admonished. "I don't want to see your food mush mouth."

"You love my mouth. And what I do with it," Emma waggled her eyebrows in what was supposed to be a sexy way but came across as just plain weird yet adorably Emma. "So is it yes or no?"

Regina rolled her eyes. She thought about keeping Emma in suspense a while longer but she was too excited. She pulled out a copy of the ultrasound from the pregnancy book that she had been reading when Emma came home. She handed it over to Emma, "our baby's first picture."

Emma froze in mid-chew. Her head shot up and she gulped down the contents of her mouth as she sat up and pushed her plate to the side. She straightened up and reached out and grabbed the picture with a slightly shaky hand. Regina just grinned at her.

She studied the picture for a long time before finally saying breathlessly, "It's beautiful." Emma was already in love with the little blob. "What is it?" she asked turning back toward Regina.

Regina had sat up from her end of the window seat and swung feet onto the floor. "It's too early to tell yet. I'm only 9 weeks. But yeah, it is beautiful." She pointed to the bigger end of the blob, "That's his head there," she leaned her head onto Emma's shoulder as she stared lovingly at their baby.

Emma squinted but it still looked like a tadpole to her. "I got a job," Emma announced as she went back to her sandwich.

Regina was still staring down at the photo of their baby. "A job? Where?"

"Granny's. It's part time but now I'll be able to provide for my baby. We're not taking charity from anyone Regina. We're going to do this on our own."

Regina understood Emma's stubborn nature. And she loved her anyway. Emma had grown up in a working class family. They didn't have a lot. But they had everything they needed. And there was plenty of love in their home.

But she also understood practicalities. There was no way a part time job at a diner was going to provide all that they needed. Their parents were going to have to take the brunt of all of that.

She didn't want to hurt Emma's feelings in any way. So she chose the diplomatic route with her. "Sure, babe," she pecked her on the corner of her mouth. "Here," she reached into the baby bag that the doctor's office had given her that was full of books. "These are for you. You read these while I read these," she pointed to another stack of books behind her. "And then we'll switch when we're done."

Emma scrunched up her nose. She finished her sandwich and chips and put the plate aside. She rubbed her hands together to get rid of the crumbs before accepting the books. "We have homework for having a baby? I thought making the baby was the important part."

"We still need to know all that's going on with me and all that's about to happen. Like when my hormones go out of control and I start screaming at you for no reason," Emma's eyes widened and her face showed her shock. "now you'll know that it's just the hormones in my body. They'll end up making me a little loopy."

Regina had already inherited her Mother's temperament. She had always been high strung and stressed herself out over everything. Emma wasn't sure she could deal with her turned up any higher. "okay," she said mostly to herself. "We can do this," she began thumbing through the books. "We will do this," she beamed a huge smile over at Regina before leaning over to kiss her.

The first kiss led to more kissing which led to petting which led to Emma somehow lying on top of Regina which led to "How much longer do we have until your parents get back?"

Regina's breath had already quickened, "Not for a while I think. My mother went shopping."

"Well," Emma looked from where they were lying in the window seat over to her huge waiting bed. "I mean, you're already pregnant," she shrugged.

Regina chuckled and leaned up to kiss her nose. Emma stood and helped Regina up. They moved over to the bed. Emma began to strip down immediately. Then she climbed into the bed. Regina undressed herself at a slower pace stopping to carefully fold her top and skirt on the back of her treasure chest. Then she climbed in bed beside Emma.

The two of them gravitated toward one another instantly. Their lips fused together as their hands began to explore one another's bodies.

Emma loved Regina's rounded curves. She rained kisses down her neck and chest until she reached the stiff peak of her breast. She sucked it into her mouth as she toyed with the warm weight of her other breast in her other hand. Regina moaned and arched her body as close to her as she could.

She loved the feel of Emma's muscles contracting under her fingertips. Emma had always been physically active and it paid off in a physique that was fit and toned with long slender muscles. She ran her hands lovingly down her arms before they fell to her waist. Then she ran them back up again to the slight swell of her breasts.

She pushed Emma down and began running her hands over her breasts while her open mouth followed. Emma writhed underneath her and let out a loud moan. "Shh," Regina reminded her as her hands continued to play over Emma's six pack. She reached back up and kissed her as she slipped a thigh between her legs.

Emma's wetness immediately coated her leg as she ground down on Regina's thigh. Emma moaned again into Regina's mouth as her hips went up, down, and around.

Emma was pretty heated up. But she wanted them to be in this together. She cupped the firm mounds of Regina's bottom with her hands before moving her hand to her abdomen. She moved between Regina's thighs past the smooth shaved heat at the apex of Regina's legs. She kept going until she made it to her hot, silky, wet destination.

This time Regina moaned into Emma's mouth. Then she gasped out loud as Emma inserted 2 fingers inside of her. She didn't want to be outdone. So she maneuvered around until she too could gain access past the wet, tight curls that Emma kept neatly trimmed. She inserted 2 fingers and applied pressure against her swollen clit.

Emma sucked in a breath as Regina entered her. She reclaimed her lips again as the two of them set up a rhythm with their hands and fingers. Emma reached her climax first as she tended to do. Regina grinned down at her as she panted while riding out her orgasm. "You're easy."

Emma rolled onto her back away from Regina. Then she rolled back over quickly and pinned her underneath her. "You forget. I'm also fast," at the mirth in Regina's eyes she put her finger over her mouth. "I didn't mean it that way," Regina laughed then moaned as she smelled her own scent on Emma's hands. Emma nodded at her knowingly as her eyes began to darken with lust once again, "I'm also not afraid of hard work," again Emma flexed her muscles at her. Then she leaned closer, "Did you know that the tongue is a muscle?" Emma began to kiss her way down Regina's body.

She wasted no time getting down to business. She buried her nose in her throbbing mound and then stiffened her tongue. She inserted herself into Regina, lapping at the escaping wetness as she went. She relished Regina writhing underneath her.

As Regina's muscles tightened around her she pressed her palm to the pink little nubbin. She stroked circles into it as Regina's cries got louder. The nub got even harder as Regina's muscles clenched around Emma's tongue. She ground her hips down as convulsions from her climax began to overtake her.

Emma continued to lap up the moisture all around. Then she wiped her mouth and chin as she climbed up to lie beside Regina. She wrapped an arm around her girlfriend and drew her against her.

Regina's arms encircled Emma's waist. As her breathing steadied their heartbeats began to synchronize. Blissfully, they were both lulled to slumber.

SMF

"Wake up!"

Emma had frozen in place from the tone of Cora's voice alone. It was the one she used when she wasn't meant to be trifled with. She peeked at her out from underneath the blankets.

Regina had instantly shot up at the sound of her Mother's voice. She'd sat staring at her wide-eyed before she followed her Mother's line of sight that was frowning down at her naked body. She pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and slunk down in the bed as far as she could go.

"The both of you are to get up and get downstairs now!" Cora turned and left without another word to either of them.

If Cora had been a cartoon Emma was sure she'd have smoke pouring out of her ears and nose. She turned to Regina who stared back at her with a look of pure terror on her face. She reached over, grabbed her hand, and kissed it. "It'll be okay. We're still good."

Regina shook her head sadly as she got up and began dressing. "I'm not sure we'll ever be good again."

Emma was stunned. Regina had been just as excited as she was about this baby. She wasn't going to let her Mother take away the joy they were both feeling. Maybe they should've waited. Even though the pregnancy had been an accident she wasn't going to let anyone make them feel that it was a mistake. "Hey, our baby isn't a mistake. And I'll take down anyone who says it is. Even Aunt Cora." Emma flexed her muscle, "It's what I was built for."

Regina gave a small chuckle while shaking her head. "Idiot."

"I'm your idiot," Emma agreed before leaning over and kissing her girlfriend. They pulled back and got dressed. Then together hand in hand they walked downstairs to face the music.


	5. Always and Forever

**CHAPTER 5**

When Emma and Regina entered the den they looked around puzzled. In addition to Regina's parents, Emma's parents, and even her sister were all there.

Zelena was grinning gleefully at them which told Regina all she needed to know. Her sister loved when she was in trouble and had probably been the one to tell Mother she was upstairs with Emma.

"Have a seat," Cora ordered.

The only open seats were the ones beside Zelena. Regina made sure to kick her legs as she stepped past her to get to an open spot. Zelena turned and punched her hard in her arm.

"Don't you hit my girlfriend!" Emma cried out as she put her arm around Regina's shoulder.

Zelena snorted. She leaned past Regina to scowl at Emma. "She's my sister. I'll hit her whenever I want!" She then hit Regina in the arm again even harder than the first time.

"Oww! Mother!" Regina nursed her arm while Emma stood and pushed Regina into the seat she'd just vacated. She sat next to Zelena and crossed her arms glaring at her. Zelena just laughed at her.

"Cut it out! All of you," Cora ordered. When they'd quieted down and faced forward Cora put her head down and began pacing around. Finally she stopped in front of the girls and put her hands on her hips.

"I understand that this pregnancy was as big a surprise to you two as it was to the rest of us. But it's here. And there's nothing more to do than to deal with it." Cora took a deep breath. She frowned over at her youngest while Regina did her best to shrink down as much as possible.

"This starts with new rules. The first being since the two of you can't be alone without taking off your clothes," she ignored Emma and Regina's reddened faces, "then you're not to be alone at all."

Emma regarded her Aunt with something akin to horror, "You mean ever?"

Cora sighed and shook her head. "Despite your beliefs we were young once ourselves. We do understand what it's like to be in love and to have hormones racing throughout our bodies. We also know that keeping you two apart forever is impossible as you let us know so clearly by the age of 4."

The adults all got a faraway look on their faces as they remembered how a 4 year old Emma faced them all down when they tried talking to the girls about toning down the physical affection in public. It wasn't long after that when she got into a fight over some kid's negative comments about it.

Cora shook her head and snapped them all back to the here and now, "There's still the fact that you live right next door to one another and go to school together. Obviously you'll have plenty of opportunity to continue to socialize. But," Cora went back to pacing with her head down clearly choosing her wording carefully, "there will be absolutely no sex between the two of you for the time being." Cora held up her hand to stem the tide of protests that Emma was about to deliver her way, "and Emma your parents have agreed that you're going to be placed on birth control. As will Regina as soon as the baby is born. The next time I have a grandchild coming into this world I expect you two to have college degrees and established careers first."

The girls openly gaped at their parents. They swung their heads back and forth between the two sets. But all 4 of their parents wore identical determined expressions. It was clear they'd already discussed all of this between themselves already.

"Emma I've made you an appointment already. We're going to go and check out all of your options together before making a choice on which is right for you," Snow informed her daughter. David who sat beside her nodded his head vigorously.

Cora had stopped pacing, "as will Regina when the time comes."

She folded her hands in front of her, "These rules are not meant to be punishments. We're not trying to keep you two apart. But the fact still remains that Emma is also capable of becoming pregnant. And until she gets on birth control you two are not going to be left alone again. We have to deal with this pregnancy. We're not going to be dealing with two at the same time."

Emma and Regina looked at one another shocked. It hadn't occurred to either of them that this was a possibility. Then again neither had this pregnancy. Though they were aware that a same sex couple could have a child together they thought it would involve spells, potions, and rituals of some kind. Not just the two of them doing what came naturally to them.

Regina nodded her acquiescence knowing that this made sense. Emma though looked at Regina hurt as if she'd betrayed her. Regina caught her look and sighed, "Emma we can't have two babies right now. We're not even sure how we're going to handle having this one yet."

"That's why I got a job today," Emma said with hurt evident in her voice. "So I can take care of all of us. We're going to be just fine Regina," she took her hand in her own.

Regina didn't want to argue and knew there was no point in bothering anyway. When Emma dug her heels in that was pretty much it.

"Honey you know you still have school," Snow brought the conversation back on track. "What job are you talking about?"

Emma beamed at her Mom, "I'm going to be a waitress at Granny's. I just got hired today and Granny said I can start training next week. I'll be making a salary and I get to keep my tips."

Cora pursed her lips, "I'm sorry Emma but that won't take care of anything."

Regina frowned at her Mom when she saw Emma's face drop. She squeezed her hand and gave her a quick peck on her cheek but Cora continued uninterrupted, "Regina's on our insurance so that will take care of the hospital and doctor's visits. And this is our grandchild so we'll handle the rest."

Emma stood up and glared at her Aunt. She was hurt that everyone seemed to act as if she was incapable of handling her responsibilities. "I can take care of my family myself."

Cora quirked her eyebrow in her direction. She crossed her arms over her chest, "So you can pay the medical bills that are going to get up to about $10,000 by the time it's all over with? And what about after the delivery? Your tips are going to cover that too?"

Emma's mouth hung ajar as her head reeled. "Well – umm…." She sat back down and looked at Regina, "Ruby's Granny is a midwife. We can have the baby at home and - ."

Regina held up her hand to Emma, "Let me stop you right there! If I'm going to push something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon then there's no way I'm not having plenty of drugs to do it with."

"Natural is best for the baby Regina," Emma continued to argue. "And we have to put that first."

Regina put her hands on her hips and squared off against Emma, "There's no way I'm doing that! And I'm not going to argue with you anymore about it. It's done! I'm having this baby in a hospital. Where there're lots of pain killing drugs around and doctors who are experts in this kind of thing," she crossed her arms and faced forward.

Emma put her nose in the air and turned the other way," Hrmph!" She crossed her arms and legs and began to swing her leg around furiously.

Cora rolled her eyes. "If you two are going to become parents it's past due time for you to grow up. Emma's right that this baby comes first. I expect there to be no problems from either of you about abiding by these new rules." When she got no answer she cleared her throat and said louder, "Will there?!"

"No, ma'am," both girls muttered tensely.

"This has also brought home to me just how out of control your magic skills are. Starting next weekend, you all will start taking your magic training seriously. I've already spoken to the fairies. The three of you will be spending time with them every weekend to catch up."

"I'm sure I'll be busy," Emma had always hated rules. She wasn't about to make it easier for her parents now.

"I'm sure you won't. Or else you can kiss spending any time supervised or not with one another."

Emma sighed her defeat. She dropped her head into her hands and began to rub her eyes. She needed another nap.

Cora took a seat next to her husband. Henry immediately grabbed his wife's hand to show that he was supporting all of these radical decisions that everyone already knew was all Cora. "As the baby is a Mills we still have an image to uphold. Regina will be old enough to drive soon. She'll need a car to get my grandchild around."

Zelena scoffed, "I should be the one getting a new car.. I'm the one who's graduating valedictorian."

Cora nodded, "You're right."

Regina shot upright, "Wait! What?! She already had a new car when she turned 16. It's my turn."

Cora pursed her lips together, "she also managed to make it to graduation without getting pregnant." Cora held up a hand to silence Regina's further protests. "We'll trade in her car and use it to make sure that you have something's safe for transporting around a Mills baby.

Zelena grinned and stuck her tongue out at her sister. Regina just glared back at her.

"If there's nothing more anyone has to say - ," Cora looked around the room. When everyone shook their heads she stood up, "I don't know about you all but I'm hungry. I think the weather is nice for a cookout."

The men immediately rose having gotten excited at the opportunity to use the new grill that Henry had bought recently. It was supposed to be some top of the line or other. Snow followed Cora into the kitchen as they discussed what they were going to prepare for dinner. Zelena walked out of the room with her phone already glued to her ear. No doubt inviting her loser boyfriend Graham over.

Emma huffed and glared at Regina. Then she crossed her arms and began to swing her crossed leg around wildly. Then she stopped it down and crossed it again in the opposite direction while huffing and jostling Regina every step of the way.

Regina was still busy being mad about the car situation. When Emma's huffing and puffing in her ear began to get on her nerves she turned to her, "What?!"

Emma turned and looked down her nose at her, "Oh? You're talking to me now?" she pointed to herself in mock surprise. She slapped the sofa cushion they sat on, "You're my fiancé Regina. That means you're my wife in practice if not yet by law. You're supposed to stand with me on everything."

Regina smirked, "You got that from Titanic. And I'm not your fiancé. You've never even asked me to marry you and I certainly don't have a ring on this finger," Regina held up her hand in Emma's face. "As for the rest, I am not and will not be having your friends Granny's head or hands up inside of me!" Regina jumped off the sofa and went into the kitchen. No doubt to work on her Mother some more concerning this car situation.

Emma watched her go with narrowed eyes. She still didn't agree with the situation. She felt she was completely capable of taking care of her own family.

"Emma still pouting?" Snow asked Regina as she joined them in the kitchen.

"I think she will be for some time to come," Regina nodded.

Snow flicked her wrist at her, "Have you two even ever had a fight before?"

Cora chuckled, "I think Emma's too whipped to stay mad at Regina."

Snow and Regina tried to bite back their laughs. But one look at one another and it just burst forth. Soon all 3 of the women were laughing together.

Emma walked in, "What's so funny?" She looked around at the women suspiciously.

Regina walked over to her and put her arm around her. She gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Nothing dear. We were just talking about the rest of our lives."

Emma, who could never hold a grudge instantly thawed at her girlfriend's show of affection. "I've always known I was going to spend it with you."

Regina reached for Emma's hand and clasped it in hers. "Always and forever babe."

Emma nodded, "Always and forever sounds perfect."


	6. Emergency

**CHAPTER 6**

Time passed quickly for the two girls as Regina's pregnancy advanced. And in that time a lot of changes had taken place.

Regina got her license and then a car. She was glad that her parents had traded in her sister's Mercedes Benz Coupe for a Mercedes Benz SUV. Of course they had also opted for an extended luxury and safety package which took the sting out of it being a hand-me-down from Zelena.

Her joy didn't last long though as her sister came revving into the driveway with a BMW Z4. All for nothing more than graduating high school like she was supposed to. And it wasn't even graduation time yet.

Not that it mattered. Emma usually had the car more than she did. She actually had her own set of keys. She did all the chauffeuring around of Regina to wherever she wanted to be. Like if Regina wanted to spend time with friends afterschool, Emma would drop her off and then pick her back up after work. It was the only unsupervised time the girls got. And having her own chauffeur made Regina feel like a Princess as Emma would help her in and out of the car and with any packages she was carrying.

Emma was saving up her own money to buy her own car. And in the meantime Regina's car was parked in the Charming family driveway more than it was parked at the Mills house.

What spare pennies Emma didn't squirrel away that didn't go into necessities went for the baby. It was her one indulgence. She'd get super excited as she saw something that the baby absolutely needed. Like a miniature motorcycle jacket for an infant. Or even worse a replica of her red leather jacket. When Regina would argue with her over the uselessness of the item Emma would be hurt. Then she'd argue back that it was absolutely needed.

Regina wanted her to be careful. They didn't even have the sex of the baby yet. But Emma would wave her away. She didn't care. Which led to their next round of arguments.

Regina wanted to know the sex so that she could prepare in advance for the birth. Emma thought that waiting for the surprise would be more fun. She called her an OCD freak underneath her breath whenever Regina was being bossy or demanding. Regina would glare at her and pretend she didn't hear. But they both knew the truth.

Regina was busy preparing either way. She was getting a corner of her room ready for the baby. There was enough room in the mansion that she could give the baby its own room. But she felt the separation was going to be too much for her.

She had all of her old furniture. Her parents kept everything. Her dad was a sentimental old pack rat. So she still had all her own things leftover from childhood.

Regina loved it. She loved re-purposing old things that had previously been used with love and care. And her baby using her old high chair or crib made her feel like she was honoring the past.

Their magic training was also going well. Though Regina hated the head fairy, the others weren't bad. But that Blue gave her the creeps the way she'd look and talk down to her. Emma swore she never noticed a difference in how she was being treated. But Regina would feel the way the old gnat would stare at her and a cold, sick feeling would run down her spine.

Of course it would turn into a Mills girls competition. Zelena reveled in being more advanced than Regina was. Which would just fuel Regina's fervor to push even harder and buckle down. Emma knew to keep quiet and keep her head down when it came to those two fighting or competing. So she said nothing as Regina would vent about it for hours after each lesson and instead invested in Costco sized bottles of headache medicines.

Regina was allowed to trade PE for study halls. Not that she cared. She hated being sweaty. But it was one of the only classes where she and Emma could chat openly without being yelled at every second about being quiet in class. Thankfully they still had lunch together.

Regina was getting to know some of the other teenaged parents. Ashley seemed okay. She really hoped they could turn their acquaintance into a friendship. It only seemed natural for the two of them to bond over their upcoming pregnancies.

Aside from Regina's crying spells and depressive episodes everytime she went up a dress size things were going well. Or so it seemed.

Her mother was up for an election. The last two races had been pretty close. Closer than she'd ever wanted them to be. Though Cora usually had 20 points over her competitors when it was all over Regina would feel like curling up and wanting to die when her Mother would look at her protruding belly and sigh.

This caused anxiety issues with her. She didn't want to be the cause of her Mother losing a job that she loved. Even with Cora assuring her that if it was her time then at least she'd go out with a smile and knowing she'd done her best Regina couldn't stop worrying.

Regina went to bed early that night with some minor cramping. She'd been told during one of her checkups that her blood pressure was rising too fast and that she needed to relax more. Which of course only set off a psychosomatic chain reaction that led to her blood pressure skyrocketing.

She was awakened in the middle of the night with shooting pains that left her gasping for breath. Her hands flew to her baby bump which was now a little more than slightly pronounced though she was still small. She called out weakly for help but received no answer.

The mansion was massive and sound didn't travel well. She had just thrown off her blankets when her sister walked by her room. She was fully dressed and had obviously spent the night out though it was almost 3 in the morning. "Help!" Regina gasped loudly.

Her sister stepped into her open doorway and threw on the lights. As Regina blinked at the glaring blare, she took in her little sister's sweaty hair and reddened face then turned and ran to their parents room. Next thing Regina knew, her parents were racing into the room.

Her Father helped her up as her Mother ran to get on something that was appropriate to be seen with in public. As her Father carried her downstairs, she grabbed their coats. She put Henry's across his shoulders as he tucked Regina into the backseat of the car. And she spread Regina's on top of where she sat panting through the pains. Zelena was left with strict instructions to follow them to the hospital with a change of clothing for them all.

Once they got to the hospital, her Father wasted no time. He scooped up his little girl and raced her through the doors as Cora parked the car. He yelled for help as soon as the sliding glass doors opened. He didn't stop for anything until Regina had been transferred to a gurney and taken into the back.

Cora walked in and the two parents sat together with pale drawn faces holding hands awaiting the doctor's verdict. Zelena walked in with a bag for them and each waited on the other to go and get changed since they didn't want to leave in case the doctor came in with an update.

Eventually he walked over to the exhausted parents. "Your daughter is doing fine. We've got her on an IV drip and monitoring her as we speak."

Henry Sr. rose from his seat, "What was the problem?"

"Your daughters' blood pressure is elevated and she was severely dehydrated. As I said we're monitoring her closely tonight and and will continue to do so tomorrow. If it doesn't go down by then we'll have to start discussing other options. For now though she's doing fine although she's a little shaken up and tired like the rest of us. You all can see her as soon as she's relocated to her own room."

Her parents thanked the doctor and resumed their seats. Zelena turned to them, "has anyone called Emma?"

Her parents looked at her with blank faces. "It's a little early to be calling anyone," though when they looked at the clock they were all shocked it was already well past 6.

Cora sighed as she pulled out her phone, "she's not going to be happy about this." She called and spoke with Snow about the situation. Snow sighed and said, "Emma's not going to be happy about this."

Regina had just gotten into her own private room and her parents and sister had only just joined her when Emma burst through the door. She was still wearing a tank top, pajama shorts, and fluffy slippers. Her hair was a mess around her head and her face was reddened with exertion, "Why the hell didn't anyone call me?!"


	7. It's a !

**CHAPTER 7**

"Geez Regina, you really are getting bigger right before our eyes," Ruby took a large bite out of her slice of the pizza they were all enjoying.

Regina had spent the past couple of weeks bedridden. Were it not for her friends stopping by and Emma being there every night she would be going stark raving mad by now.

She had never been one for tv much though she did enjoy watching movies. Especially with Emma. Emma's reactions to the movies they watched entertained her more than the movies themselves. So she had resorted to keeping herself occupied during the day by reading through her pregnancy and parenting books and dozing often.

Her Mother brought her meals up to her bedroom on a tray. They had installed a small refrigerator and a microwave next to her bed for quick snacks that didn't involve her moving around much. They'd also installed an intercom system through the house, gotten her a panic bracelet, and a bell just in case of emergency.

Once school was over, Emma would bring home her assignments for the day before she headed to Granny's for her shift or whatever extracurriculars she had planned. Then she'd come back with a treat for Regina before the two snuggled up in her large canopied bed.

They'd spend the rest of the night talking over Emma's day. Regina would pump her for every last detail as if lying in her bed all day left her with an unquenchable thirst for the outside. Then their voices would soften to whispers as they'd talk about their baby. They would lean their foreheads against one another's while Emma traced lazy patterns across Regina's ever expanding belly. Neither one of them knew who fell asleep first but they would always wake up still engulfed in one another's arms.

Their parents had let up on the supervised visitation only rule since Regina was bedridden. Emma giving them all the silent treatment over being left out of Regina's little emergency, as they tended to call it, also helped.

Cora and Henry had both apologized profusely. They swore that they would never leave her out of anything concerning her child. But Emma had always been one for wearing her emotions on her sleeves. She had been hurt being the last to know that her love and her child were in danger and no one thought to inform her until after it was all done and said.

So she'd taken up camp in Regina's room and refused to budge. Although her parents did make sure she sure understood that this was only allowed due to present circumstances. Once Regina was out of the woods she and Emma would still be held accountable to their parents like any other teenagers. Which meant that until they were officially on their own they were still subject to curfews, rules and regulations despite the fact that they were now going to soon be parents themselves.

Even though their parents were disappointed in their timing, they had always known that Emma and Regina would end up together. And that this day was inevitable. They just weren't yet willing to concede that their baby girls were no longer babies and were becoming their own little women right before their eyes.

"I am growing an entire human in here you know," Regina sassed at her.

Emma tossed a napkin at her best friend who lobbed it back at her with a laugh. It landed right in Belle's bosom. Ruby's face turned as red as her name implied as she licked her lips and tried not to be too obvious about watching her extract it.

Ruby, Belle, Kathryn, and Mulan had all come over for their usual girl's weekend jamboree. They had taken turns hosting them every weekend for as long as they all could remember. Regina always went out of her way to tell Zelena she wasn't invited but when she had free time away from Graham she tended to invite herself. She had however invited Ashley whom she had gotten closer to since they were both expecting their babies around the same time. The teen parent club was a small group in a town as small as Storybrooke. They knew they needed to stick together.

"I still don't know how you pulled that one off," Belle shook her head. "My Dad would kill me."

"It was an accident!" Regina insisted. It still amazed her that this could really happen. Then she'd feel a flutter and know that it was real.

"My baby is not an accident," Emma defended. "And we pulled it off because I put it on her like that," she smiled smugly at her friends before dodging Regina's smack.

"You two are so adorable it's sickening," Ruby turned up her nose at the couple.

"At least you two have each other," Ashley looked down at her belly. "I have no idea what I'm going to do without Sean."

A hush fell over the room. Everyone knew that Ashley had a stepmother and 2 stepsisters who all mistreated her. And then she fell in love with a guy who left her and their unborn child to fend for themselves because he had been scared of his Father. She was currently staying with Ruby and Granny and worked part time in the diner to make ends meet. It made Emma and Regina both thankful for their families.

Regina reached across the bed to grab her hand. She gave it a squeeze, "He'll come around. You'll see," she nodded and smiled at her new friend.

"Yeah," Emma agreed nodding. "True love can't be beat. That's how my parents made me. And that's what Regina and I have. You'll see," she nodded enthusiastically. "As soon as he realizes what he's missing out on he'll be back."

"Have you guys thought of a name?" Kathryn wanted to keep the time they spent together upbeat. There was enough going on in all their lives to weigh them down. Girls' weekend jamboree was supposed to be about female bonding and good times.

"We don't even know the sex yet. The doctor said we'd be able to tell at our next appointment though. I really want a little girl," Regina smiled at the thought. A little princess that would be a mini her sounded awesome. She didn't think she could handle a mini-Emma. Her big Emma wore her out sometimes.

"You want a boy don't you Emma?" Mulan looked at her friend quizzically. Emma had already talked to her about wanting to have a little boy that she could turn into her cool little dude. She was planning to dress him really cool and cut his hair into a Mohawk. She'd teach him sports and help him with girls. She saw the two of them as hangout buddies. Regina could have her little princess later.

"They're less work," Emma talked with her mouth full.

Regina turned up her nose at her, "a baby is work period. What makes you think just because it's a boy that things will be easier?"

Emma began listing off the value of a boy over a girl on her fingers, "They don't have hormones that make them go crazy like girls. We won't have to buy like tons of makeup and clothes. And best of all we won't have to worry about them getting pregnant. That'll be someone else's problem," she flicked her wrist at her.

"As long as it's healthy guys. That's the most important thing," Kathryn threw in. "When are going to be able to get off of house arrest?" she turned to her best friend.

Regina wiped her mouth with her napkin before answering, "Monday. Hopefully life will go back to normal after that," she frowned. She had really had it with bed rest. Being in bed all day just wasn't for her.

"Hey girls," Zelena stormed into the room. She pushed her sister aside as she climbed onto the bed and reached for a slice of pizza. "What are we talking about?"

The room had mixed feelings when it came to Zelena. As children, she was called the Wicked Witch. She tormented pretty much everyone. It wasn't until she started getting into boys that she put aside her agenda of purposely trying to make their lives hell. Still she was like a big annoying sister to all of them. She had started to give them respect as they got older. But some of the group still held grudges against her.

"Your new niece or nephew," Mulan answered for the group. Though she had been small and usually quiet there was a core of strength that radiated from Mulan. Since both girls were active, she had always been Emma's number one pick as a teammate. Their fierce loyalty and sense of duty in protecting their loved ones at all personal costs were part of the bonds that the two girls shared. She was also the only one that Zelena respected enough not to bully as she had the others.

Zelena just rolled her eyes as she bit into her pizza.

"Guys," Belle refocused the group quietly. "Do you realize we aren't going to have too many more of these nights left? I mean, Zelena's going to college in a few months. And with all of these new babies coming, everything's about to be different."

A hush fell over the room as everyone looked around at one another. They all knew to some degree that it was true. But were still wishing desperately that it wasn't.

"We'll always be best friends though," Regina immediately assured her. "I mean, we grew up together. Between phones, computers, planes, trains, and automobiles we can always keep in touch. There's nothing that can change who we are and what we mean to one another."

Emma, who'd always been the most sentimental of them all and the one who was most afraid of change began to get upset. Regina reached out and gave her a kiss knowing how difficult hearing what they'd all been thinking about in one way or another was for her girlfriend to hear. She wrapped her arm around her while Emma dropped her head onto her shoulder and wrapped an arm around as much of her waist as she could.

"Always and forever," she whispered to her before dropping a kiss onto her lover's lips.

Emma grinned back. Regina had always had an elevating effect on her moods. "Always and forever," she agreed as she interlaced their fingers.

SMF

Emma and Regina cuddled closer to one another as they listened to the sounds of everyone else around them breathing evenly.

Though the room was dark, the moonlight streaming in through the windows gave them enough light to still be able to make one another out. Emma smiled into Regina's eyes, "tomorrow we get to find out what the little booger is."

The girls weekend had passed uneventfully. There was the usual talk about boys, school gossip, movie watching, mani, pedi, and hair braiding that went on when girls got together. They'd discussed current events in everyone's lives and homes. Aside from that it had been the same good time with good friends as ever.

Regina swatted at the hand that was running across her belly, "don't call my baby a booger or a what."

"I'm just saying. It's finally here. It's finally like a real -," Emma struggled for the right word before giving up and shrugging, "person."

Regina understood what she meant. After tomorrow things would get real. She was carrying around a little bean that would sprout into either a boy or a girl. And the two of them would be responsible for him or her 24/7. Their parents had already made it clear that though they'd help as much as possible, this was their baby and their mess. They would not be raising their grandchild.

In abstract the thought of having a baby was amazing. But the reality of being responsible for every aspect of someone else's life who literally needed them in order to survive was so overwhelming that both girls had done their best to keep it out of their minds. Though they still had 41/2 more months ahead of them they knew that once they'd learned the baby's sex things would be real.

Regina had been feeling flutters for weeks in her belly. It felt like someone was tickling her from the inside. But for Emma the baby was still an abstract concept. She understood it on one level. She was going to be someone's Mom. She wasn't completely confident with that role yet. She still slept with a stuffed bear that Regina had given her years ago.

"It's a good thing you've been reading all those books," she tried to lighten the heavy mood that had been bearing down on both of them since Belle's earlier announcement.

Regina gave her a weak smile. As the two girls settled in to sleep, they both wrapped their arms a little tighter around the other.

SMF

Emma went to school with the rest of the girls as usual. But she spent the morning being anxious. Today it would be official. She and Regina were going to be Moms of – well something.

She paced in front of the school after her 4th period class as she waited for her Aunt to show up. She, Regina, Cora, and Snow were all anxious about Regina's and the baby's health. Today the doctor would let them know the sex of the baby and whether or not Regina would remain on bedrest.

When she climbed into the car everyone was silent. Regina leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. Emma gave her a small smile as she reached for her hand. She clasped her fingers tightly between hers. Aside from that, the car ride was a tense yet quiet affair.

After signing in and waiting for almost 10 minutes they were finally called to the back. The admitting nurse took the usual weight, height, temperature, blood pressure, and other basic health stats. Then she handed Regina a dressing gown before leaving the family alone. Emma, Snow and Cora all sat with pale, drawn faces as they waited for Regina to change. After she put on the dressing gown and folded up her clothes she handed them to her Mother to hold. Then she hopped up on the examining table while they all continued to wait for the doctor. She chewed her thumb nervously as she waited for news of her fate.

"Well, I see we have a full house today," Papa Pope smiled around at the women as he walked into the room. "Good morning ladies," he nodded his head at them before turning his attention to Regina. "How are you today Mom?"

"I'm good," Regina's voice came out in a nervous squeal. She coughed into her arm to clear her throat, "Sorry. I'm well. There haven't been any problems since I've been on bedrest. And the nurse said my stats all looked well."

The doctor had turned to his computer screen while she spoke and he looked up and smiled at her. "Your blood pressure's down and that's a great start. It's exactly what we were hoping for with the bedrest. Now lie back and I'll have a look to make sure everything else is fine. Then we can get to the fun part and you can see your baby."

Regina did as asked. The doctor placed a sheet over the lower half of her body before commencing with the basic abdominal exam. Regina assured him she was feeling no pain or pressure of any kind.

Then came the gross part. He had her place her feet in the stirrups as he put on a set of gloves before he began doing a pelvic exam. Regina held her breath and shut her eyes tight as his hands played over her lower body. She opened them again as she felt a hand slip into hers. When she opened her eyes, Emma was smiling down at her.

"Well then," Papa Pope said as he began to wash his hands thoroughly. "Everything seems fine. Your blood pressure is back down to normal," all of the women in the room let out a collective breath. "I do however want you to continue to monitor your blood pressure daily."

Regina and her Mother both nodded. Regina was determined to have a healthy baby. And Cora was determined to make sure that both her baby and grandbaby were fine.

"Now Mom – s," he pluralized as he looked between she and Emma. He gave them a wink, "let's see that baby of yours."

Cora and Snow both crowded around the monitor as Papa Pope spread the ultrasound gel across her belly. Then he moved the wand around as he tried to get a perfect view.

Emma gasped as she heard her baby's heartbeat for the first time. Tears began to sting the backs of her eyes as her throat became choked up. Regina grinned into her eyes knowing exactly how she was feeling. It's how she'd felt since the day she realized there was a human being inside of her. She squeezed her hand tighter before they both turned back toward the monitor.

"There we go," Papa Pope smiled at the two girls. "Your son. He's definitely not shy," he pointed out the way his legs were completely splayed out for the camera.

"Oh my god!" Snow breathed out excitedly as she clapped her hands. "A boy. We've been a little short of boys in this family. Your Dad's going to be happy to hear about that," she told Emma before she gave her a hug.

Cora laughed before leaning over and kissing her daughter's cheek, "He's beautiful," Cora breathed out with tears in her eyes.

Regina had only been nervous before. But now seeing her child and her family's reactions she was becoming flooded with different emotions. She began to laugh as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Emma leaned over and gave her a kiss as Papa Pope began to print off pictures for all of them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she punctuated each thank you with a kiss that she pressed to Regina's lips. "Thank you for giving me a boy."

"Our son," Regina corrected.

"Always and forever baby," Emma wiped away at the tears that had managed to make their way down her cheeks. She stared down at her copy of the ultrasound mesmerized by how absolutely perfect he was already.

Regina had already cleaned herself with the wet nap that Papa Pope had given her and sat up. The women all listened carefully as Papa Pope gave them instructions to follow until Regina's next appointment. Regina was taken off of strict bedrest and instead put onto reduced activity bedrest provided her blood pressure readings continued to stay low. She gave a big whoop of relief. Being bored in bed all day almost killed her. He left the group to themselves with a smile and a congratulations.

With Emma's help she slid down off of the examining table and began to get dressed. While Snow and Cora chatted away about the ramifications of having a boy in the family and the preparations they all still needed to take care of Emma stared at her son. She didn't think she'd ever get used to saying that word. But she swore with everything in her that taking care of Regina and her family would always come first.

"I love you," she whispered before dropping a kiss on the photograph. She wiped away at the tears that were insisting on falling and clouding her vision.

Regina had just finished dressing when she heard her girlfriend. The two locked gazes as they continued to grin at one another.

"Always and forever," she nodded at her.


	8. Step 1

**CHAPTER 8**

Emma stared up at the building in front of her and then back down at the brochure. She swallowed thickly as her stomach began to fill with dread.

Next to her Zelena whistled, "Not a bad place fo degree."

Emma's head snapped to Regina as she began to giggle. She licked her lips and narrowed her eyes before their attention was once again claimed by the tour guide.

Despite the warm weather, she was suddenly cold yet her hands were sweaty. She wrapped her arms around her body as her fingers curled into fists. Maybe this trip wasn't such a good idea after all.

She, Regina, Cora, Snow and Zelena were all checking out the colleges that would maybe one day be the school that the girls would attend for the next few years. Zelena was this year's valedictorian and had already been accepted into 8 different schools. The next few weekends they had all committed to checking them out together.

It was kinda assumed that Regina would go to whatever college that Zelena chose. And Emma would obviously follow Regina to the ends of the earth. But staring up at the intimidating buildings had Emma longing for home, her special blankie, and her special teddy bear friend Mr. Biggles whose existence only Regina and her parents knew about and were sworn to take to the grave with them.

They took the standard tour that had been scheduled early in the day. Later, they would have dinner as a family before Zelena headed back to the campus. She would spend the weekend on campus sharing the dorm experience while the family checked into a nice hotel nearby.

Finally it was over and the family left to get their things settled into their hotel. They were sharing a three bedroom suite in a swank hotel that Emma knew must've cost the equivalent of the first year of college tuition. There were actual real live doormen and everything. Cora tipped the valet before heading inside to check them in.

The front desk clerk checked them in while the bellhop helped them to their rooms with their luggage on a mobile rack. Everyone oohed and aahed over the suite and the view of the city the floor to ceiling windows provided. Then they broke off and went in separate directions to get changed.

They freshened up and got dressed up for dinner. They went to a nice five star restaurant that Cora had heard good things about. She'd called down months in advance for their reservation.

The conversation revolved around how everyone felt about the college. Regina and Zelena had liked it but it was neither of their first choices. Cora and Snow were just glad they'd opted for staying closer to home as opposed to across country. Either way, they'd still be within a few hours' drive of their girls.

Emma was quiet throughout the meal. She barely registered the haute cuisine they were having. Regina had to nudge her in order to get her to respond to questions that had been directed at her. Everyone noticed her unusually somber mood. Emma was the type who either offered too much information or in rare extremely stressful times she clammed up. This was apparently one of those times. Regina and Snow took note but knew to leave it alone until later.

For Emma's part, she was having an internal freak out. It was the first time she realized that she was actually going to be on her own. By the time they went off to college their son would be a toddler. Everytime she stared at Regina's expanding belly her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

After dinner, everyone opted out of sightseeing for the day and instead elected to head back to the hotel for much needed naps after the long car ride. Once they got back to the hotel Regina went ahead to her room while Cora, Emma, and Snow headed off to their rooms to rest and speak with their husbands before going to bed early. The family would team up tomorrow for breakfast and then some sightseeing.

Emma slowly unpacked her bag and grabbed her jammies. She placed Mr. Biggles on the pillow and her blankie across his lap. Snow let her have the bathroom first while she talked to David regaling him with all they'd done today. Emma hurriedly went through her nightly routine. When she was done, her Mother handed her the phone so that she could speak to her Dad.

The two made awkward small talk for a couple of minutes before Emma was done. She handed her Mother back the phone before bidding her a good night. She headed over to Regina's room being careful to leave the door open. Now that Regina was no longer on bedrest or in any danger medically their parents had moved forward with a new modified version of new rules. They were more lax about the girls spending time together but they were no longer allowed to sleep together. They still had to have open doors when they were alone and they had been made to understand that the rules were subject to change as their parents saw fit.

When she got to her room, Regina was still in the bathroom. Emma draped herself over on the left side of the bed which had somehow become her side during the years the two spent together. Regina soon came out of the bathroom changed into a comfy pair of pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt that hid some of her belly but not all of it. Her face was free of makeup and her hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail.

Looking at the schools was the first part of the reason for the college tours they were going on. But another part was also to get Regina some stylish maternity clothes since Storybrooke seemed stuck in the 80's when it came to fashion and well… pretty much everything. They were also going to do a little baby shopping while they were there.

Emma watched Regina waddle over to the bed. Her stress levels rose with each extra sway her hips took to compensate for her growing middle. Her fist was pressed into the small of her back. It had been giving her problems lately. She complained almost nonstop about that or else her swollen feet or constant fatigue. Emma tried to be supportive but it was hard. Regina had a short temper even before the pregnancy. Now with extra hormones flooding her body she sometimes turned into a mega-watt witch with a capital B.

Regina climbed up on the bed and rolled her body around until she was able to sit upright again. She began propping pillows all around her back and sides. She pulled the pillows that were behind Emma away and placed them underneath her aching feet. "Whoosh," she grunted out as she relaxed back. She looked over at Emma. Her face was pale and drawn and she had spent the entire day being uncharacteristically quiet. "So - ?" she prompted hoping that would be all Emma needed before the floodgates opened and she was in for an avalanche of word vomit.

Instead, Emma deflected, "What movie did you want to watch?" Emma began flipping through the channels with the remote. She wanted to avoid having to voice any of the messed up things flying through her head. She knew they weren't Regina's fault. She also knew once she began to unleash she wouldn't be able to hold back. And she didn't want to hurt the woman she loved who was already suffering under the weight of her pregnancy.

Regina recognized the tactic. Emma preferred to run instead of acknowledging her feelings. She had been that way even as a small child. Regina usually had to pull teeth to get her to open up. She pulled the remote from her hand. She turned off the tv before turning to Emma.

She was hot, tired, and bothered already. Her feet and ankles were swollen, her breasts were huge and tender, and carrying her own weight around on her legs was a burden. It had already been too long a day for her and she just wanted to relax before falling asleep, "I don't have the patience for this tonight Emma. This baby," she indicated her stomach. Emma quickly averted her face and frowned at the wall. But Regina was short on sympathy and patience for her benefit today. She narrowed her eyes and began to raise her voice, "Your baby, might I add, is either sitting on my bladder forcing me to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes or else kicking me nonstop so I can't get even an hour worth of sleep. And today you're acting like an immature child yourself. Now out with it!"

Emma blinked back tears. She just didn't have it in her to deal with this on top of everything else. So she did what she usually did when she was stressed. She gave into the immature pouting child that unfortunately still resided inside of her. Most times she could control Li'l Emma but there were times when Li'l Emma broke free and there was nothing Emma could do to hold her back. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face toward the wall as she prepared to dig her feet in. "Either find a movie or I'm walking," Emma gritted through her teeth.

Regina took in the childish stance and her lips curled down. She just wasn't in the mood. Emma had spent the entire day of what should've been a great experience sulking. She was already miserable enough now that she had entered the last trimester of her pregnancy. She didn't need to deal with Emma's crap on top of it. She turned sideways and planted a foot on Emma's leg and her hand on her arm. She pushed with all her might.

Emma landed on the floor with a big 'thunk'. She jumped up quickly. She picked herself up and glared at her girlfriend, "you're just so mature aren't you?!" Without waiting for an answer she headed out the door making sure to slam it behind her.

"You big whiney baby!" Regina managed to get out just before it shut all the way. The baby began to kick her in the ribs in protest. She ran an apologetic hand over her stomach. "Don't worry. I wasn't talking about you," she said quietly in a soothing tone. "It's okay. Mommy's here."

Emma stood on the other side of the door and paced. She buried her head in her hands and growled in frustration. What the hell had she just done!? She'd just lost her cool with the one person she'd sworn her entire life to never hurt. She stared at the door wanting to run back in and apologize but knowing how Regina carried grudges she didn't want to get into another fight with her. Instead she turned and headed back to the room she would be sharing with her Mom.

"Hey honey," Snow greeted her cheerily. She was rubbing lotion on her arms and clearly getting ready for bed. "I thought you were going to watch a movie with Regina before coming to bed."

"I changed my mind," Emma growled hoping that her Mother would drop the situation. She fell onto her bed and pulled Mr. Biggles into her arm. She covered herself with as much of her baby blanket that she could. She turned her back on her Mom and turned off the light on the nightstand. She closed her eyes and willed for oblivion.

Snow took in her daughter lying with her comforts and sighed. Even without Emma's occasional sniffles it was clear that something was wrong with her baby. She moved over to the bed and took a seat behind her. She ran a hand up and down her back. Emma didn't turn but she also didn't pull away. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No," Emma mumbled into Mr. Biggles' furry belly.

Snow nodded. She stretched herself out behind her daughter and propped her back against the headboard. "So it's one of those nights," she said softly. She and David both blamed the other for Emma's stubbornness. Truth was she'd come by a double dose of it honestly between the two of them. And they all knew it was true.

"Well, let's see," Snow tapped her chin as she put the pieces together. "You've been brooding the entire time we've been here. You left out of here sullen and ran pretty fast back after obviously getting in a fight with Regina," Emma sniffled again but refused to acknowledge her Mother.

Snow handed her some kleenex and Emma took it but still refused to turn around. "I guess it's either Regina or this place that's got you so upset."

"I'm not upset," Emma grumped as she blew her nose loudly.

"Clearly," Snow drawled. She ran her hand through Emma's hair and began to play with one of the long locks between her fingers patiently waiting before Emma spilled.

Emma turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her nose was red and her eyes were starting to get puffy. She was shredding the kleenex in her hands.

Snow grabbed some fresh kleenex and gently pulled the used ones out of Emma's hands. She handed her more fresh ones before she deposited the soiled ones in the bin.

"I can't do this," Emma said quietly.

Snow's eyebrows rose to her hairline, "what's that sweetheart?"

Emma turned her head toward her Mother. She shook her head at her sadly, "we were so stupid. We can't do this!" her voice rose on a screech toward the end of her sentence. Then she raised her hands to her face and began to cry into them.

"Oh, honey," Snow pulled her hands down from her face. She pulled Emma into her arms. Emma wrapped her arms around her Mother's waist while burying her head into her belly. The floodgates opened up and the room filled with her soft sobs.

Snow made soft cooing noises as she rubbed Emma's back. She rocked them back and forth and waited until the tears subsided. Once Emma had regained enough composure to have a conversation again she pushed her gently away from her as she handed her over more kleenex.

Emma sat up and wiped at her eyes and nose. She cleared her throat and swallowed thickly. Now that the tears were done she was feeling a little embarrassed.

"You ready to talk yet?" Snow asked. Her face was still filled with worry but she knew they were over the worse of it now. Now she could get to the bottom of her daughter's pains and help soothe them away.

"I just – I don't know what we were thinking," Emma continued wiping at a few stray tears. She shook her head, "we can't even afford to pay for this hotel room let alone anything else here. How am I going to take care of my family if I can't do anything?"

Snow frowned as she tried to process what issue she should tackle first. Obviously, Emma was having a bout of cold feet. This pregnancy had taken them all by surprise. Regina and Emma were handling it pretty maturely. But Snow was actually glad that she'd seen her daughter have a break. It was times like these that she still felt useful to her daughter, "Emma," she shook her head. "You're 16. You, Regina, and the baby aren't your entire family. Since you've forgotten you also have me and your Father. And you have the Mills too. They love you like their own."

"How am I supposed to pay for all of this?" she gestured around the room. She sat up on the bed crossed legged, "I'll never be able to take care of them the right way. I'm such a loser," Emma shook her head sadly. "Regina should just find someone else who's good enough for her," Emma's tears began to start up again.

Snow put her hand underneath Emma's chin and pulled it up. She forced eye to eye contact on her, "you are perfect just the way that you are. And you always have been. You're even better than I hoped and dreamed you would be. I don't want to ever hear you say anything differently. Do you understand me?" Snow barked in a voice that brooked no insolence.

Emma pulled her chin away and stared over her shoulder. She didn't answer but at least her tears had stopped.

"As for Regina finding someone else, didn't you both try that already? And how'd it work out for you?" Snow argued. "I seem to recall nothing but tantrums from the time you were 4 as you insisted you'd found your true love."

She and Regina each had spent more than 10 years running away from what they'd known so clearly at 4. In Emma's room hung a poster that read everything she ever needed to know she learned in kindergarten. She and Regina belonging together had definitely been on her personal list of 5 year old achievements.

A ghost of a smile played across Emma's pale lips as she recalled a few of them herself. "I was pretty badass wasn't I?" she chuckled.

Snow pulled her into her arms and kissed the top of her head. Emma snuggled closer into her side, "Yes you were."

They stayed that way with Snow silently rocking them back and forth for a while. Finally, she broke the silence, "you know what you have to do next right?"

Emma sighed. She knew she had acted like an ass. And Regina was well within her rights to deny her. But she understood it was past due time for her to put away childish things. But not tonight, "Tomorrow," she mumbled into her Mother's side. She rolled away and pulled the blankets loose from the bed. She organized her pillows and scooched down between the sheets. She grabbed Mr. Biggles from behind her and pulled him into her arms as she made herself comfortable.

"Yes tomorrow," Snow agreed as she too climbed between the sheets. She wrapped her arms around her baby and Emma threw her arm across her Mom's waist.

She sadly lamented their time was quickly running down. They were moving into a new phase in their lives. She would always be her Mother but with Emma branching out and becoming a parent herself, their relationship would change.

Although Emma had always been somewhat mature, it was times like these that reminded Snow she still had a place in her daughter's life. She was glad she'd raised her the right way and Emma still allowed her to be a source of comfort to her.

The soft swish from the air conditioning and the quiet that echoed throughout the hotel room lulled them both into sleep.

Snow had almost fallen asleep when Emma's snoring began. Her eyes flew open and she was reminded why she didn't really like sleeping with her daughter. She maneuvered her away from her and gently climbed out of the bed.

She searched through her overnight bag until she found what she was looking for. Then she turned out all the lights except for the one leading to the bathroom. She climbed into the other bed and arranged her pillows in a comfortable position. Then she stuffed her ear plugs in her ears and prayed sleep would come soon.


	9. The Longest Night in the World

**CHAPTER 9**

"Emma!"

"Hmm?" Emma mumbled in her sleep as she rolled over. Next thing she knew, she was airborne. After the thump came a delayed, "Owww!" before she lifted herself from the ground. She looked across the bed at Regina who had switched on her lamp light and was glaring across at her. "What'd you do that for?" she nursed the side of her head and her elbow that had met the floor first as she blinked repeatedly to adjust to the change in lighting.

"You wet the bed!" Regina practically screamed the accusation.

Emma's face took on a look of pure horror, "No, no, no," she shook her head forcefully. "I haven't done that since I was little. And we promised never to talk about it," Emma reminded her despite her complete mortification. She ran her hands over herself trying to figure out what was going on.

She was wet. But it was only on the one side. She stood up and glared over at Regina, "You're the one who wet the bed!"

"I did not," Regina threw back at her. "I've never wet the bed in my life!"

Emma touched the wet spot on her side. She held her hand up for Regina to see, "I can't pee on my side Regina. Obviously you did it!" She put her hand up to her nose and sniffed it, "wait. This isn't pee. What the hell is this?" she scrunched her nose and furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out what the hell was on her side. Her head snapped up as she heard Regina let out a loud groan.

Regina had bent over with her arms wrapped around herself. She appeared to be in pain. Her face was twisted as she let out another groan. Tears began to well up in her eyes she looked at Emma with alarm.

"Regina?" Emma scrambled across the bed and to her side.

"My – mo-ther, "she managed to gasp out between fast breaths.

Emma immediately turned and began to run towards the other side of the mansion where Regina's parents' rooms were. "Aunt Cora! Aunt Cora!" she screamed as she burst through the doors without thinking. She stopped dead in her tracks with her mouth hanging open as she watched her Aunt and Uncle scramble for their clothing. Her eyes grew big as she realized what she had burst into before she came to her senses and quickly turned her back on them, "I'm sorry!"

Cora rolled her eyes at the girl. Emma was as uncouth as they came, "there had better be an emergency," she said to her back as she continued to pull her nightgown back over her body.

Emma nodded. She had been too shocked to remember why she'd flown into the room, "It's Regina," was all she was able to get out before Cora flew past her as she ran to Regina's room. She was one step behind her.

When they got to the room Regina was just as she'd left her. Except now she had tears streaming down her face, "Mother! It hurts so much!" she gasped out as she bent over.

"What is it dear?" Cora ran to her daughter her concern etched across her face. She sat beside her on the bed. Her concern for her daughter quickly turned to confusion. She had accidently sat in something wet, "why is the bed wet?" she asked Emma.

Emma cried out insulted at all the finger pointing, "It wasn't me! I don't do that anymore," she answered as her cheeks turned bright pink.

Cora's head flew over to her daughter, "did your water break?"

"I don't know. I woke up because it was wet and then I started to hurt so bad," Regina's voice caught on a sob. The pain seemed to have passed momentarily but she was still a little short of breath. And completely terrified for herself and her baby. She wasn't due for another 6 weeks, "I think something's wrong."

By this time Henry had joined everyone in the bedroom. Cora stood up and inspected the wet stains. She turned toward him, "Her water's broken and I think she's had a contraction. But she's not bleeding so that's good. We're going to have to get to the hospital soon. Wake Zelena and then go and get dressed. I'll be right behind you," she instructed him as she rose to take charge of the situation. Henry nodded and rushed back out the door.

She turned back toward her daughter. "Now, tell me about this pain."

"It just started hurting after I woke up. I thought Emma wet the bed but - ," her cheeks flushed as her voice dropped off.

"Hurting how? And where?" Cora prompted. She guessed from her water breaking that it was just early labor. But she needed to make sure it wasn't something more serious than that.

"Here," Regina indicated with her hand on the bottom of her protruding belly. "And then it went back here," she pointed to her back. "That's where it hurt the most.

Cora nodded, "those are contractions alright." She ran her hand through her hair as she quickly assessed the situation. "Obviously your baby already has your impatience."

"I can't have him now! I'm not due for another 6 weeks! Something's wrong!" Regina screamed not caring how she looked at the moment. The only thing that mattered right now was her baby.

"You haven't had a contraction since I've been in here. And trust me babies don't come that fast. You have plenty of time," Cora put her arms around her daughter and gave her a kiss. "He'll be fine. I promise you. But this will be one of the longest nights of your life."

Cora turned to where Emma stood gaping in the middle of the room with a face as pale as a sheet, "Emma!" Emma jumped at the urgency in her Aunt's voice. "You're going to have to help her get showered. And then get dressed. We're going to need to get to the hospital. Can you do that?" she asked even though she was already standing. She waited until Emma ran to Regina's side and began to help her up before leaving the room.

Zelena poked her head out of her room as she walked past. She was already partially dressed, "are Regina and the baby okay Mother?"

Cora nodded to quickly reassure her daughter. "I'm pretty sure she's just in early labor. Having a baby takes a while but I still want to get to the hospital. When you're done getting dressed please go and help your sister."

Zelena nodded and began to speed up her dressing. Cora walked into the room to find her husband already dressed.

"I'm going to get her bag into the car," he told his wife as he began to make his way out of the room. He stopped only long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek.

20 minutes later and finally everyone was ready. Henry had helped Regina into the car. He shut the door and went around to the driver's side as his wife joined the rest of the family in the car. He glanced at the dark house next door as he pulled out of the driveway, "did you call the Nolan's?" He drove toward the hospital a few miles above the speed limit. Thankfully it was early morning and the streets were completely clear.

Cora gasped and her hand flew to her mouth as she turned toward Emma, "Did you?"

She just shook her head. The girl was clearly dazed. Her face was still pale and she had an arm protectively around a still sobbing Regina.

She pulled out her phone and pressed the #3 button. Regina was program number 2. The phone rang 4 times before a sleepy voice answered. "Mommy," Emma cried shakily.

Snow was instantly on alert, "Emma? What's wrong?"

"Aunt Cora says the baby's coming. We're on our way to the hospital," Emma's voice came out smaller than she wanted it to. Suddenly she wanted nothing but her Mommy.

"We're on our way," Snow disconnected the call. Emma put her phone back into her pocket.

When they pulled into the driveway of the emergency room, Henry stopped the car at the door despite the warnings not to park there. He opened the back door and picked his daughter up into his arms before walking her inside. Zelena and Emma got out along with him. Zelena thankfully remembered to bring Regina's bag.

Cora jumped into the driver's seat so that she could park the car. She quickly found a space and headed inside.

She asked for her family at the front desk. She was pointed to one of the rooms in the back after being handed a pile of paperwork. When she walked into the room, Regina lifted her hand out to her. Her face was tear streaked and blotchy but she seemed to be doing alright. Henry stood to one side of her and Emma stood on the other. She was tense and pale as she clutched tightly to her girlfriend's hand.

Cora hurried across the room to take her hand and offer whatever comfort she could. Henry made room for her to take his place and went to sit beside Zelena on one of the hard plastic chairs that were provided. She had just situated herself on the opposite side of Regina when a nurse came into the room.

"Alrighty then," she said as she began washing her hands. "You said you're not due for another 6 weeks? Did I hear that right?" she asked Regina.

"Her water broke tonight and she woke up having a contraction. She's had one more in the past 25 minutes," Cora supplied. "And yes, she's 6 weeks early."

The nurse nodded before turning to Regina. "I'm an OB nurse. Helping to complete families is my specialty. The on-call doctor has been paged and he's on his way."

She went about getting the normal checking in information such as statistics, allergies, and anything unusual that had happened as she waited for Cora to complete the paperwork that appeared to be nothing but copies of with the same question repeatedly. She gave Regina a gown and a cup for a urine sample. She directed her to where the bathroom was and then she and her Father left to give her privacy. Cora helped her remove her clothing and get into the gown. Then she helped her to the bathroom. When they came back, Regina sat nervously on the end of the bed as she waited for the doctor.

Suddenly, Regina cried out and clutched at her belly as she bent over gasping for breath. "Just breathe out through your mouth, baby. Just breathe," Cora rubbed her daughters back as the contraction ripped through her. She helped her lie down on her side as she checked her watch and noted the time.

The contraction had just passed when the door opened and in walked the doctor. "Finally," Henry snapped as the man lazily strode into the room.

The doctor ignored him as he sat down on the stool in front of Regina. He had her chart in his hand and was reading the notes. Finally he looked up and smiled, "so your water broke and you're in early labor."

"Obviously," Cora sneered at the man.

He appeared unaffected from the less than warm reception he was getting, "I take it this is your first child?" he asked as he washed his hands and began to put on gloves.

"Of course!" Cora scoffed. "She's only 16."

"Which means she's had at least 3 or 4 years of fertility," he snapped back at her. He and Cora glared at one another as he had her lie back. The nurse who'd come in with him draped a sheet across her legs. He then helped guide her feet into stirrups before beginning the exam.

Regina grimaced and held onto Emma's hand tighter. She was unfortunately used to having these done since this pregnancy. That never made them any easier.

The door opened and Snow came inside. David must've stayed up front with Henry. The doctor's head popped up from between Regina's legs in surprise. "Mommy!" Emma ran to her Mother and threw herself into her arms. Snow had never seen her daughter so terrified and her eyes were practically bulging out of her head.

"We didn't miss anything did we?" she asked anxiously. Cora shook her head and the doctor scowled before returning to his exam.

"You said she's having contractions?" he asked.

"Yes," Cora anxiously supplied. "She's had 3 of them in the last hour."

The doctor nodded before taking off his gloves. He grabbed another pair and slipped them on before he turned to the nurse who was busy getting the ultrasound set up. Once she was done, she handed him the wand.

He had Regina drop her legs as he pushed the sheet up higher. He poured the gel onto her belly before placing the wand on. Instantly the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. After staring at the screen he declared, "she's definitely in labor."

"But it's too early," Regina cried out as she anxiously looked to her Mother.

"6 weeks really isn't that bad. We've come a long way in understanding how to handle these cases. Ideally waiting is best but your baby was viable weeks ago. We still need to check the urine samples and do a fibronectin test. We can try to stop the contractions with medication but at this point it's a toss-up. You're already dilating and the longer we wait there's an increased risk of infection. I'd rather deliver your baby and then we can take it from there. But it's your call," he looked at Cora since she seemed to be the one in charge of the group.

When the group seemed stunned into silence his patience began to wear thin, "Look my nurse is going to start you on medication to help stop the labor. She'll also give you an epidural to help with your pain, a portable monitor since having a baby will be a long wait, antibiotics to help stem infection, and the corticosteroids to help speed up the baby's lung development. That will buy you some time to figure out what you want to do and for the test results to get back. If the lab results come back with something more then we're going to have to allow the labor to take its course or start talking about a c-section," he collected himself and began to move toward the door.

"Doctor, what would my baby be like if we delivered now?" Regina asked quietly before he left.

He closed the door and walked back over to her, "At 6 weeks premature the baby will of course be small. He may have problems with eating, breathing, and staying warm. He or you may or may not develop an infection which is what we'll be keeping a close eye on. That's why he'll be in an isolette in the NICU as soon as he gets here. But I assure you 6 weeks premature isn't a death sentence. We have highly trained staff that I hold in the highest regard. In science there are no absolute guarantees but we will do all that we can to ensure your health and safety and that of your child." He paused for a moment as he allowed his words to sink in, "Now until we get those lab results I'll be on my way."

After the doctor left the nurse got to work putting in IV's and starting the medicine drips. She hooked Regina up to a portable monitoring machine that kept track of hers and the baby's conditions. As she was inserting the lines Regina began to have another contraction. While her Mother held her hand the nurse held onto her other hand and helped her lie on her side. She had her follow her breathing as the pain flowed through her, "honey did you take your Lamaze classes yet?"

"No," Regina gritted through her teeth. She glared over at Emma, "because someone wanted to go to a ball game instead and swore that we had plenty of time to do it later."

Emma shrunk back and her face turned red as she avoided looking at her girlfriend. She dropped her head onto her Mother's shoulder and let her hair swing down in front of her face.

"Since you'll be with us for a while we have a lot of programs to offer up in the maternity ward to help keep your mind off of things. We can go over more of them later. For the time being I can put in a request for someone to come and help you with that. Now I'm going to get your paperwork started. Then we'll come back and have a look at you and see where we are before we move you into a LDRP room," she smiled kindly at them. Then she left the family alone.

The family waited tensely for Regina to be moved. Henry and David came back and rejoined the family. Cora told them what the doctor had said as he and David took along the wall. The room went silent as the family retreated into their thoughts.

All of the parents were worried for their girls and the baby. But they knew that things would be fine now that there were professionals to handle everything.

Zelena was busy texting away to her idiot boyfriend. And Regina sat glaring at Emma everytime she felt any pain or discomfort.

Emma just sat quietly next to her Mom. She didn't want to let go of her at all. She was sitting so close to her she was practically in her lap. From across the room, she could feel Regina's glare burning a hole straight through her. For her part she was utterly terrified. She wanted to do more to help but she felt completely useless with nothing to offer the situation. She was busy cursing herself for screwing up and making them miss out on the Lamaze classes that would've helped them figure out what was going on right now. But there was supposed to be more time. Who knew Regina would go into labor early? At all of her checkups Papa Pope had said the same thing. She needed to calm down. Her blood pressure was too high and she had developed gestational diabetes. But aside from needing stress relievers and watching what she ate more closely she was doing just fine.

Finally the nurse returned and took them to their suite. The hospital had undergone upgrades not too long ago and the room was actually extremely nice. It even had a whirlpool tub inside of it.

There was a round table for the family to sit at. And two lounge chairs that they were told folded out in case anyone was planning on spending the night. And the window seat doubled as another sleeping area for the family.

They had been told that it would be a long night. But there was nothing more to do except for everyone to wait. And that it was best for them to go home and rest since Regina would desperately need as much as she could get.

The Nolan's were the first to take their leave. They assured the family that they would be back first thing in the morning. When Emma went in for a kiss Regina just turned up her nose and turned her head away. Emma covered her hurt as she walked along between her parents. Both of them had their arms wrapped around her as they made their way back home.

Henry and Zelena were the next to go. Henry let his wife know he'd bring clothes and breakfast with him when he came back in the morning. He kissed his daughter. Then he gave her an extra-long hug. He pulled back and shook his head sadly, "I can't believe you're about to become a Mother. You're still mijita linda. Te quiero mi amor."

"Te quiero mucho Papi," Regina gave her father a wistful smile.

Cora began to make up the window seat for herself with the linens the nurse had provided for her.

"Mother?" Regina's voice was so small yet so loud in the now empty room.

"Yes dear?" Cora called over her shoulder as she tucked in the ends of the sheet.

"Will you sleep with me?" Regina asked bashfully. Her Mother had never been overly affectionate. She prided herself on instilling independence in her girls. Papi was the one to always be there with instant hugs and kisses. But sometimes if they were really sick or feeling really low she would indulge them.

Cora grinned at her daughter who, despite being on the verge of becoming a Mother in her right, was still so much her little girl. She dropped the blankets and moved over the hospital bed.

Regina scooched as far over as the blankets, her belly, and the wires would allow. The epidural had kicked in. Although her pain had gone down to a manageable ache she could still feel everything.

Cora climbed between the sheets ever mindful of the wires and her daughter's comfort. She moved around until she could find a comfortable space for her. Despite having the side of the bed practically impaled into her side she knew it would be fine. She could endure anything to keep her children safe and happy. And right now her daughter needed her.

Regina had found that by laying half on her side and half on her back she and her Mother could fit neatly in the bed. She sighed as she rested her head on her Mother's chest and let her steady breathing and heart beating rhythmically beneath her ears lull her into sleep.

They both knew that by the morning their whole lives would change. And somewhere along the way there would be a new baby to welcome home. But for tonight they could just be a Mother and a daughter taking solace in one another's arms.


	10. Showtime!

*****I can't believe how long this one got. It wasn't my original intent. But I really like it so I'm going to go with it. Writing these scenes always brings me back to the birth of my kiddies. Enjoy!*****

 **CHAPTER 10**

Snow entered the kitchen early the next morning so that she could call her 2nd in command and let her know she wouldn't be in for the next few days. She needed to get to her before she got to work to let her know that she would be flying solo for a while and hadn't wanted to disturb David, so she'd gone into the kitchen. But when she turned on the light switch she was shocked by what she found. Her daughter was sitting in the dark kitchen and she was a complete wreck!

Her hair was a mess around her head and there were heavy bags beneath her eyes. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd had on last night though they were now wrinkled. Her daughter shoulders were slumped as if she carried the weight of the entire world on them and she seemed completely out of it.

"Emma?" When she received no response except for a blank stare she put her hand onto her shoulder and gave her a light shake. "Emma!?"

Emma broke out of her fogged daze. She blinked and turned to stare at her Mother, "what?"

Snow took in her disheveled appearance. "You look like you haven't slept at all. We're due back at the hospital in a couple of hours. Go lay down honey and get some rest. We're going to have a long day ahead of us."

Emma shook her head and then began to rub her palms into her reddened eyes. "I should be there now. I think I'm going to go on ahead," she said yet made no move in any direction.

She had wandered into the kitchen after her parents had left her for their bed the night before. She had watched them go with a frown on her face knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep. She had too much energy thrumming through her veins. She had meant to try and make herself some of that warm milk that Regina would make for her with the honey and lavender since it was a guaranteed sleep elixir. But had ended up sitting down and hadn't moved since.

Instead of sleeping, she'd slumped into a chair counting all the ways she'd already screwed up with Regina and her baby so far. It had been her bright idea to give up their Lamaze classes which would've helped them figure out what was going on so that she could play in the last soccer game of the season. And she had been lying to her throughout the pregnancy about reading all the books that Regina had supplied her with throughout the pregnancy. Though she'd tried, the books were so big and overwhelming. She figured she'd pick up a cliff notes version or something later. And then the worst and possibly unforgivable act possible. She'd left her pregnant fiance – since she'd always been sure that she would one day marry her – in the hospital alone to fend for herself when she was needed most. She felt like such a failure.

Snow put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. When she leaned back into it with no resistance, she helped her stand and began to steer her toward her bedroom, "I don't think so dear. I think you need to catch at least a few hours before going back to the hospital. Come on, let's get you into bed," she helped pull her to her feet then began to help guide her over to her room.

"Regina needs me," Emma protested weakly wincing at how pathetic she sounded even to her own ears. When they got to her room she allowed her Mother to turn down the sheets then push her down to the bed and bend over to take off her shoes. She sat there weakly once again allowing her to take over. She sat staring down at her feet, still not able to process anything through the feeling of numbness that had taken over her brain from the moment the doctor began to list all the things that could go wrong with Regina and her baby.

The entire world had come crashing down on her shoulders as she realized that this was it. They were having a baby. And Regina had looked in so much pain. That alone nearly killed her. Her own pain she could handle. But just thinking of Regina or her baby being in any pain was something she just couldn't take. So she had instead shut down and been more than happy to soak up her Mother's comfort.

It scared her to know that people still died in childbirth despite all the advancements that had been made in recent years. And if Regina or her baby - . She shook her head. She couldn't even finish that thought.

The doctor standing there listing off all of the things that could go wrong with this pregnancy and delivery hit her even harder than before. She felt so helpless and inadequate.

She finally accepted what everyone had been telling them about since the beginning. They were too young to be parents. But now neither had a choice. And nothing had ever scared Emma more in this entire world.

"Regina is fine," Snow said as she helped Emma swing her legs over the bedside. She pushed her shoulders and helped her lie down among her pillows. Emma laid down tucked in the fetal position silently blinking up at her Mom with wide terror filled eyes that were beginning to mist. She handed her Mr. Biggles and was glad when Emma instantly squeezed her beloved bear. She smiled fondly as she looked down at her daughter who right now appeared so much younger and vulnerable than her 16 years.

"Having a baby takes a long time. Nature works on her own schedule and not ours. Regina is being taken care of by a team of doctors and experts. And if there was any news then Cora would've called us. It's still too early and if you go there now you'll do nothing except upset her and yourself. She said as she climbed into the bed beside her daughter. She held out her arms and Emma eagerly fell into them. "Now rest," she commanded softly as she tapped her on her chin dimple before leaning over and giving her a kiss.

Emma rested her head on her Mother's shoulder. She was sure she'd never be able to sleep. But between the familiar, homey scent of her Mother and Mr. Biggles squeezed tightly in her arms she never even realized she'd fallen asleep.

Snow lay there drowsily watching her daughter glad that she had been able to offer her some comfort during this difficult time. Although she loved Regina and accepted that she and Emma were partners, she had never been happy about how she had this effect on Emma.

She understood that it was the true love that the two girls shared that made every emotion between the two of them more intense than in other couples. But in her opinion, Emma seemed to be more affected by Regina than anything else. No one and nothing else in the world existed for her.

When Regina was upset with her, Emma took it as a personal rejection. She worried herself literally sick trying to figure out what she could do to make it all up to her again. She was surprised she didn't already have an ulcer since Regina's Latina blood tended to make her emotionally volatile. Emma's dependency on her sometimes downright terrified Snow just for this reason. There would always be things out of both of their controls and then where would that leave her poor baby Emma? Though Emma had always been a wild child and kept up a front as a rebel, she also wore her heart on her sleeve. And in the wrong hands that was a dangerous thing.

But she'd also seen the way that Regina allowed nothing and no one to hurt Emma. She'd been there to witness firsthand the tenacity with which Regina fought for her daughter. And it helped calm her to know that she was in safe hands for life.

She wriggled around until she found a comfortable position for herself. And with a small sigh and her daughter's light snoring in the background, within minutes it was fade to black.

RQ

Emma had jumped out of her parent's car as soon as her Dad had pulled up along the hospital entrance to let her and her Mother out. Then she ran inside.

When she got to the room, Regina and Cora were just getting up for the morning. Emma had heaved a huge grateful sigh. After making sure that Regina was alright she'd asked her Aunt Cora if she could give them a few moments of privacy. Cora had gratefully excused herself to the bathroom to do some freshening up.

Emma now stood with her head bowed as Regina's wrath rained down on her about last night. She knew she deserved it so she offered no protest. She swallowed thickly and fidgeted nervously as the machines that she was attached too began to beat louder and faster. Her own heartrate began to speed up as she heard nothing that was being yelled at her over the sounds of the beeping.

"I'm sorry," she raised her eyes to meet her girlfriends. "But can you ream me out later? Like after the baby gets here?" she gestured to the machines whose beeping had sped up so fast it almost sounded like one long endless buzz.

Regina glared at her before turning to stare at the blank wall as she tried to calm herself by taking long, deep breaths. She knew getting herself worked up would lead to nothing good. Her high blood pressure was one of the reasons her doctor had put her on strict bedrest last night.

Thankfully she had secured an appointment to see a specialist who'd give her basically a crash course in Lamaze and baby care. She would finally be shown her how to swaddle, diaper, and burp her child properly. Her sweet nurse from last night had helped to take her through the steps of controlling her breathing. She'd also shown Regina how to access the birthing videos that were just a couple of clicks away on the remote control. She and Cora had been in the process of watching them when the Nolan's had returned to her room that morning.

"Hrmph!?" Regina crossed her arms over as much of her belly as she could. She was still so angry. Emma had basically left her high and dry while she'd cuddled up to her Mommy. And she was the one who was called a Mama's girl.

Everytime things got really tough Emma ran straight home to her Mommy all over again. She was running low on patience when it came to dealing with the situation.

But when she looked at her love's eyes she saw the fear that she knew was nothing more than a reflection of her own. She knew that if their positions were reversed she'd barely be able to stand watching Emma go through what she was going through.

For the sake of their baby and her sanity, she relented. She knew this argument had to be tabled for later.

"My back hurts," she said in way of conciliation knowing that Emma would eagerly take the peace offering for what it was worth.

Emma immediately sprang into action. She was glad that Regina was calming down. She climbed up on the bed and maneuvered around until she was sitting behind Regina. She began to rub her back as Regina lay on her side with her eyes closed enjoying the massage.

"Do you have anything more to say for yourself?" Regina asked as she leaned further into Emma's hands.

"I think Aunt Cora and Uncle Henry were having sex when I went to get them for you," Emma cringed at the memory.

The comment was so unexpected that Regina had no choice but to laugh. Her Em had a weird habit of blurting out the weirdest things at some of the worst times. But she was all hers. And she wouldn't have her any other way.

Emma joined in the laughter too. She was glad she'd been able to take Regina's mind off of what they were all afraid of. Even if it was just for a moment.

"I love you, you know," Regina whispered as she pressed her lips against the arm that Emma had wrapped around her shoulders.

Emma kissed the top of her true love's head, "always and forever."

RQ

When Papa Pope arrived at the hospital the next morning he found things pretty much as his nurses had informed him earlier at staff change. Regina had already been given another epidural so she was feeling no pain. Everyone was just anxious and nervous. He'd checked her chart and then her pelvis. He'd frowned as he'd stared at the printouts from the monitors but still gave the family a friendly smile as he promised he'd be back after checking on Regina's labs.

Henry and Zelena were next to arrive. Thankfully they'd brought breakfast for everyone. Cora gratefully dug into the coffee as she tried working the kinks out of her body from having slept in a cramped bed all night. Regina hungrily dug into her Granny's takeout box.

Emma was grateful that Regina's and their baby's health hadn't gotten any worse. She was still silently blaming herself for making them miss the Lamaze classes that they obviously needed. She vowed to herself to never put anything above her baby or her love ever again. Letting them down was not even an option for her.

After they'd had their fill of breakfast, Regina and Cora took turns showering and getting dressed. It was a little difficult for Regina to maneuver around alone but Emma was there to help her.

Throughout all of this, the nurse's had come in often to check on Regina's progress and chart the results. She had been informed that they had scheduled an appointment for her to talk with the lactation nurse later that day.

After spending the next few hours with the Lamaze coach and watching the hospital's video library of birthing and childcare videos, the doctor finally returned. Normally they were glad to see him. Regina loved his bedside manner. He didn't treat her like a stupid kid. He always addressed her as just a regular patient. But today the sight of him just brought more stress.

Papa Pope gave a curt nod around the room before turning to Regina. "How's our Mama to be doing?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at him, "shouldn't you be telling us that?"

Papa Pope chuckled, "well I see you haven't really been taking our advice too well. I did tell you that your blood pressure being elevated wasn't a good thing," he chided gently.

Cora was instantly on alert, "Is there something wrong?"

The doctor puckered his lips as he weighed his words, "Due to Regina's blood pressure and the results of the tests we took last night I'm afraid that holding off the labor isn't going to be a good idea."

Emma gasped. She stood from the chair she'd been sitting on beside Regina's bed and instead sat beside her on the bed. She interlaced their fingers. Regina instantly began to squeeze her hand. Emma understood without even having to look at her. This was as scary for her as she knew it had to be for Regina.

Cora stroked a hand across Regina's head, frowning she asked, "are you thinking a c-section?"

Again Papa Pope hesitated before turning back to Regina herself. "We're afraid that time is of the essence here. So yes that means we're going to take you in for a c-section."

The words sounded like a doomsday prophecy. They landed as heavily as Thor's hammer in the heat of battle. A c-section meant a longer and more difficult recovery. Not to mention the thought of someone cutting into her made her feel all squiffy. Though she was now terrified, Regina pushed her own personal fears away as she nodded, "I want to do whatever is best for the baby."

Papa Pope smiled and nodded, "I'll send in the nurse who will get you started. Then we'll meet again in the delivery room."

"It'll be okay, babe. It's for our baby," Emma tried to muster up a smile for her but it fell somewhere between a grimace and a barely suppressed sob.

Before anyone else could move or say anything, a nurse came in with authorization forms. Cora frowned down at them, reading through them carefully as she filled them out while the nurse went over the basics of the c-section routine and then asked if there were any questions. She gave Regina some chalky white stuff to drink once her Mother returned the forms then left the family saying she'd be back in a little while to place a catheter in.

The room was quiet as the tension in the air became thick enough to make the room explode. No one wanted to give voice to the fear that everyone was feeling. Instead Cora and Henry huddled together on one side of the room, Snow and David did the same on the opposite side, Zelena's texting on her phone began to speed up and Regina and Emma sat on the bed with their heads leaning up against one another and their hands laced over her baby bump.

The nurse and anesthesiologist were back far too quickly for the likes of Regina. Her heart was beating double time and though she tried to control her breathing as she'd been taught recently, she was terrified and hid it poorly. The anesthesiologist gave them another brief run-down on what was about to happen then upped Regina's epidural. The nurse had everyone clear the room so that she could shave Regina and place a catheter in. Cora and Emma both insisted on staying so she nodded her head and went to work. Afterward she turned toward the both of them, "I'm sorry but only one of you are allowed in the delivery room. Which one of you wants to go?"

Cora stepped up automatically, "I am." The nurse nodded and handed her some scrubs. She told her she could change now but that she'd scrub with them in the operating room.

Emma frowned and dropped her head even though she knew it was the right choice. Still she felt a sharp pang in her heart knowing that once again she was missing one of the milestones of becoming a parent.

Regina looked at her apologetically and slipped her hand into hers, "next time." She knew she was supposed to be grown up now. But at this moment all she could think about was how scared she was and wanting the comfort that her Mother gave to her.

The nurse turned toward Regina, "Someone will be in to get you in a moment."

Once the nurse left, the rest of the family returned to see Regina off. Zelena walked over to the bed and gave Regina one of her rare shows of affection. She gave her a light punch in the arm, "See ya on the other side," she smiled at her before dropping a kiss onto her head. And just to prove she hadn't gone soft she added, "loser." Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes but couldn't hold back her smile for her big sister.

Henry peppered her with so many kisses over her face that she began to giggle, "Basta Papi! I'm going to be fine."

"Yo se mijita linda," Henry nodded. "Pero mi bebé está teniendo un bebé. Nunca es fácil dejar ir a su niña."

Regina stuck out her bottom lip, "Nada está cambiando. Siempre seré tu niña."

The nurse came back with an aide. "It's time," she said as she began to collect the monitoring equipment and pack it onto the bed. She made sure the arm rests were up and that there was nothing trailing on the floor before she and the aide began to wheel the bed Regina lay on out of the room.

"We'll see you in just a little while honey," Snow leaned over and gave her a hug that was so tight Regina thought she'd cut off her circulation.

David took his turn as the bed rolled past him. Regina could see that his eyes were misty and he was trying hard to hold his emotions back, "take care sweetheart. Of you and our grandson," he hugged her just as enthusiastically as his wife had.

Next in the processional, came Emma. Regina had been trying really hard to hold back her tears. Her Mother had taught them that being public figures, they had to be careful about what they allowed the world to see. But seeing the raw emotion on her lover's face cut her to the core. Her eyes became waterlogged and she began to sniffle as she tried to hold the tears at bay.

Emma couldn't get a word out. But her red rimmed eyes and the way that her throat bobbed continuously said it all.

Regina reached out and took her head clasping it tightly in hers, "I love you. Always and forever."

Emma nodded and managed to choke out, "always and forever." Then her tears began to run in earnest and the sobs she had been trying to hold in broke free. Snow went to her and wrapped her arms around her. David quickly followed suit as the nurse wheeled Regina away.

When they got to the operating room, things started to happen way too fast for Regina. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the foreign environment. The nurse helped her move from the bed to the operating table. Her legs were directed into another pair of stirrups and a curtain was laid across the lower section of her body.

Cora was shown to the scrub area and given strict instructions to adhere to. The nurse gave her a mask and a hair net and quickly went through the wash steps and made her way back to her daughter.

Emma had watched Regina be wheeled away from her through a hazy film of tears. She'd buried her head in her Mother's shoulder as her tears fell and soaked both of their shirts. This was a mistake. And she knew it. She should be there. She had to be there for Regina and her baby.

She closed her eyes and conjured up images of Regina. She felt the familiar tug of their true love magic running through her veins. Then the next thing she knew, she was staring down at her as she laid on an operating table.

Regina gasped and started upright, "Emma!"

Emma smiled at her weakly, "I guess my magic didn't get the message of staying away."

By this time, Papa Pope had entered the room from the scrub area. His eyelids blinked rapidly at this surprise.

Emma grabbed Regina's hand and insisted, "I'm not leaving her!"

Papa Pope shook his head and called for the nurse. He told her to help get Emma scrubbed up as well. Emma gave Regina a quick peck then hurried to follow the nurse's instructions.

Once everyone was scrubbed and gloved, Papa Pope went to the end of the table. Cora held onto Regina's hand on one side while Emma squeezed her hand on the other. They all collectively held their breath as they waited anxiously.

"I'm making the first incision now," he warned. Regina stiffened but was pleasantly surprised to feel no pain. She did feel the prodding and tugging though. Though it didn't hurt it was extremely uncomfortable and had her gritting her teeth as it seemed to go on forever.

Suddenly there's give. And then a wet sloshing sound followed by a flurry of motion as the nurse and the doctor's aide all become involved. Emma and Regina both hold their breaths and lock eyes as they hear the first small cry from their baby boy. The tears that they had been holding back suddenly begin to flow free down both of their cheeks.

"Emma, would you like to cut the cord?" Papa Pope asks, his eyes crinkling as they hear the smile in his voice.

Emma looks down at Regina who nods to her. She walks over to the end of the table and for a minute all she can do is stare in wide-eyed wonder at the squirming little red bundle whose cries sound like that of a kitten. When she's prompted again by the doctor she takes the scissors and snips the cord just below the clamp.

Cora strokes Regina's hair lovingly after dropping a kiss on top of it. She's craning her neck trying to get a look at her grandson at the same time she's trying to offer her daughter the support she needs to get through this.

The nurse grabs the baby and takes him over to the opposite side of the room. Emma follows close behind her and stands just over her shoulder staring at her little man. He's so small. And now he's gone from red to a pleasant shade of pink. She's mesmerized by his every twitch as she watches the nurse clean him then wrap him in a loose blanket while the doctor comes over to administer the APGAR test. When he's given a clean bill of health, he is handed to Emma who's instructed to bring him over to meet his Mom.

Regina receives the warm wriggly little bundle with a grateful smile. She stares at him through her tears intently trying to memorize everything about him as she inhales lungfuls of his fresh baby smell. He dark lashes blinked to reveal Emma's mossy green eyes. And he had a shocking amount of Regina's thick dark hair atop his head. It was so shaggy it looked like he needed a haircut already.

After a few minutes to ooh and aah over the baby, the nurse comes over and places an ID/security tag around his ankle. She puts one around Regina's wrist and looks questioningly between the family as to who gets the last one. Emma shoves her wrist out to hers and breaths a sigh of relief when she clips it in place. The nurse then explains that they're still not finished yet and she will need to take the baby to the NICU to continue observing him.

The nurse tells Emma that she can follow them into the NICU. Emma nervously looks over to Regina who nods her head vigorously letting her know that it was okay. After another quick peck to her forehead, she follows them into the next room while the baby is given his first bath with Emma standing close by supervising.

She holds his tiny hand in hers marveling at how an entire person can be so small yet fill her with so much emotion all at the same time without even being aware of it. She's always known the love that she holds for Regina was true. And it makes her feel like she's flying on cloud 9. But the love she feels for her son fills her with so much joy and happiness that she thinks she'll explode from it.

She knows she must look and sound a wreck as she whispers softly to her son while taking the opportunity to touch his still squirming body as much as she can. But the nurse smiles patiently at her and continues getting him cleaned, diapered, and dressed. She places him inside a warmer but lets Emma know she's free to continue to stay with him as she begins her charting.

Regina, meanwhile, has to continue to grit her teeth through the tedious slow torture of being sewn back up. She fights the cold and nausea as a nurse throws a heated blanket over her to help fight the chills that she suddenly comes down with. The feeling in her legs begin to come back gradually and she's not sure yet if she's grateful for that or not.

She's wan and more exhausted than she's ever been in her entire life. Her body isn't hurting but it does begin to itch all over. After the doctor is finished stitching her back up he asks her how she's doing. She glares at him as if he's lost his mind. She wants to scream that she wants her baby and she's also starting to ache along her nether regions. Instead, she mentions the itching sensation she feels all over and he gives her some antihistamine and a pump that administers pain meds since the epidural had begun to wear off. He congratulates her and Cora both and tells them that she did well. He leaves after explaining that she'll be wheeled back to her room and her son will join her there shortly.

Once they got back to her room, the family crowded around shooting questions at them. Yes, the baby is healthy and also the most beautiful baby that's ever existed. And he should be along shortly.

Before the nurse left she hands her some mesh underwear, a pad, and asks if she needs help in the shower. Cora assures her that she has everything covered. She sends everyone away while she helps Regina get washed up in the bathroom. They say their goodbyes as they head over to the nursery to check out their newest family member.

She slips into a new gown before sliding into the bed. "He's beautiful isn't he Mother?" Even over an hour later she can still smell his scent all over her. This must be how animals identify their family.

Cora continues tucking her daughter in securely. "Yes dear," she nods. "He's quite a looker. It runs in the family," she tweaks her nose earning her a wide grin.

"That's a lot of hair on his head. That's unusual for babies isn't it? I thought he was going to be bald for a while," she lay back against the pillows and uses the remote to adjust the headboard.

Cora puckers her lips while nodding, "that was quite a bit of hair. We know he definitely didn't get that from your Father," she winks at her daughter as she tries not to laugh too hard since her stitches twinge when she does.

All of a sudden there's noise and movement outside the door. It swings open and in walks Emma grinning cheek to cheek and pushing the isolette along with a nurse following close behind them. She moves it over to the bed and parks it right beside Regina. The rest of the family make up the tail end of the processional.

Regina only has eyes for her son as she stares at him through the clear glass. The nurse steps over and opens the lid and carefully takes out the baby before handing him to his Mother. Regina again buries her face in his neck as tears stream down her face.

The nurse leaves to give them some time though she tells them she'll be back soon to talk about the rest of the expectations from here on out for her and the baby. She also reminds them of the appointment with the lactating nurse.

The family crowds around in a circle as the coo over the baby who's busy making small baby noises and swinging his head around as he zeros in on another noise that's caught his attention. She has Emma grab the blanket that Ruby's Granny stitched for him out of her bag and swaddles him in it the way that she had been taught earlier. It's a white blanket with an emerald green ribbon around it.

Emma clears her throat loudly making everyone's head swing toward her, "Now family, we are both proud to announce to you all, the arrival of Henry David Mills," announces proudly the name that they had finally managed to agree on just a few weeks ago as she gestures to her son with a flourish and even more tears. Henry Sr. gasped then began to pepper his daughter and grandson with kisses as he thanked them for this honor.

They had settled on the name just a few weeks ago. Granny had been sworn to secrecy to never reveal it to anyone before she'd set to work stitching his initials in emerald green in a corner of the blanket.

Pictures were snapped and laughter, tears, joy, and congratulations can be heard all around. As the baby makes a pass around the room greeting his new family members one by one, Emma climbed in beside Regina in her bed.

"He's all ours," she hooked her arm around her shoulder. She gave her a deep kiss, neither caring about the audience around them. "Thank you for giving him to me," she whispered as she pulled back.

"Always and forever," Regina leaned her forehead against Emma's chin as she finally warmed for the first time since before the delivery from all the love that had filled the room.

"Always and forever," Emma threaded her fingers into hers. She ran a light kiss around her knuckles. She nodded as she watched her family around the room. The joy that had filled her at seeing her son for the first time was still radiating throughout her entire being. It had vanquished all of the fears, doubts, and worries that had plagued them all just hours ago. She brought her forehead to Regina's staring her in the eyes, "sounds perfect to me."


End file.
